Glenn Elert
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The Physics Factbook™
Edited by Glenn Elert -- Written by his students
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Go to http://www.killsometime.com/Video/video.asp?video=Bird-Baseball and watch the "Bird Baseball" clip.
The video clip is from an Arizona Diamondbacks spring training baseball game. Randy Johnson, the pitcher on the mound, throws a pitch which fatally hits a dove that flies by from the right of the screen. Assume the ball hits the dove three-fourths of the way from the pitcher's mound to home plate.
The following information can be determined from the video clip:
Assume that the path of the baseball is a straight path from the pitcher's mound towards home plate.
9 frames / (30 frames / sec) = 0.3 seconds
Determine the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate by converting feet to meters.
60.5 feet = 18.4 meters
Determine the distance the ball travels. Assume that the collision occurs three-fourths of the way from the pitcher's mound to home plate.
¾ x 18.4 meters = 13.8 meters
Find the average velocity of the baseball using the formula v = ∆x / ∆t.
v = ∆x / ∆t
v = 13.8 meters / 0.3 seconds
v = 46.0 m/s
46.0 m/s = 102.9 mph
Willie Feng -- 2005
Physics on Film pages in The Physics Factbook™ for 2005
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