Baseball: Effects of Forces and Variables on Game Play

This assessment explores how different factors such as wind, bat mass, and material can impact the game of baseball. Read the background information and data provided in each section, then answer the questions that follow. Use evidence and reasoning to support your answers.

Refer to the graph showing pitch speed versus wind speed. Points A, B, and C represent pitches thrown at the same initial speed but under different wind conditions.

Which pitch (A, B, or C) would have the largest arrow (vector) representing wind resistance acting on the ball after it leaves the pitcher’s hand?

If all three pitches (A, B, and C) had equal amounts of kinetic energy when they left the pitcher’s hand, would they all have the same amount of kinetic energy when they reach home plate? Why or why not?

You will design an investigation using classroom materials to collect evidence for all three pitches. Use the table to help match baseball items to classroom items.

Which classroom item best matches each baseball item?

• Bat
• Ball
• Wind
• Pitcher

Describe your plan for setting up and carrying out your investigation to collect and analyze data for all three pitches. List any other items needed to collect measurements and data.

Look at the table showing the relationship between bat mass and bat swing speed. Use this data to answer the following question.

Based on the data in the table, what will the line of best fit look like if you plot bat swing speed versus mass of the bat?

Using a line of best fit for the data, which would be a logical prediction for how fast a player could swing a bat with a mass of 779 grams?

If a batter can apply the same amount of maximum force from their hands to each bat to swing it, why would the speed of the bat swing decrease as the mass of the bat increases? Explain this in terms of a chain of cause and effect using forces, energy transfer, and kinetic energy.

Use the data from the tables above to determine which has a bigger effect on the speed of the ball after it is hit: increases in the mass of a bat or increases in the swing speed of the bat.

Use the data to explain which has a bigger effect on the speed of the ball after it is hit: increasing the mass of the bat or increasing the swing speed of the bat. Include the math you use in your explanation.

How would you expect the patterns in both tables to compare if you collected new data on bat weight vs. speed of ball after impact and bat swing speed vs. speed of ball after impact at Coors Field, where the air is less dense than air near sea level? Why?

Does the warning on the bat label shown above support both parts of the coach’s argument about forces and deformation?

Do you think that objects or materials that deform less in a collision spring back quicker or slower than objects that deform more? Why or why not?

If you were playing baseball against another team and had all the data above for the other team and the conditions for that day, what single factor (wind speed and direction, elevation of the stadium, bat mass, bat swing speeds of players, bat material) would you consider the most when adjusting your game play? Why?