Baseball Instruction/A Baseball Scientific Question

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Expert: - 12/28/2004


Question
hi, my name is harrison ...im in the 7th grade and i have a question...(its for a science project)...please help me...

Does a pitcher throw faster or slower throwing a wet ball, a hot ball or a cold ball?
In other words does temperature or weather conditions affect the velocity on a pitched  bseball?...
please send me an answer thank u so much...  

Answer
Harrison,

I'm not sure I can answer your question, but I have a source you can consult.  Check out "The Physics of Baseball" by Robert Adair.  I'm sure it is available at your local library.

My guess would be that a baseball can be thrown a little faster in dry conditions because the air is a little less dense.  Also, when it is colder, the ball tends to fly less far then when it is hot, so a pitched ball would go slightly faster when it is hot.  The difference would be minimal though.

Hope this gets you started!

Brian

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Brian Flaspohler

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Questions about baseball rules, general information about the game, statistical analysis, questions about players, questions about Baseball records. I am a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and a lifelong baseball fanatic. Don't ask me questions about training - this is not my area of expertise.

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