The Dynamics of Fastpitch Softball Fastpitch softball, as its name suggests, is a fast-paced game overflowing with dynamics concepts. From the travel of the pitch to the impact of the swing, softball shows many dynamics concepts in action. While many go playing this sport without knowing the true dynamics behind it, terms used such as the “sweet spot” of the bat have a dynamics basis. Knowing the dynamics behind some of the actions of softball can help a player reach their optimal performance.
The Pitch
In softball, the same windmill style arm motion is used for every pitch. The grip of the ball and the way the wrist finishes determine the spin of the ball and type of pitch. Once the ball has left the pitcher’s hand, three main forces affect
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While an experienced hitter can master their form to produce consistent base hits, the dynamics behind their “good” hits is quite complex. Using the conservation of energy approach, the hit of a softball can be explained.
Just before the impact of the bat and the ball, the ball has kinetic energy. Also, the moving bat has kinetic energy. During impact, some kinetic energy is “lost.” Instead of being put into energy to power the ball, it is lost to the ball and bat deforming, causing heat. The coefficient of restitution is used to measure how much energy is lost in the collision. The ball can compress up to nearly half of the original diameter during the impact. With the deformation, potential energy is stored (Agency 2006). When its released, the energy is converted to kinetic energy and the ball has been hit.
Assuming that the velocities of the bat and ball are kept constant, only the coefficient of restitution affects the hit. Hitting the “sweet spot” of the bat causes minimal vibration through the bat. When players complain about the “sting” in their hands, they did not hit the ball on the “sweet spot” of the bat. The sting they feel is energy that is taken away from the ball impact (Agency 2006). Thus, the ball receives less energy and cannot travel as
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Air drag also depends on the air density: the lower the density, the less air drag. Less drag gives a better chance of the batter hitting a homerun. The conditions that lower the air density are higher temperature, higher humidity, and higher elevation. As temperature is increased, the air molecules become more spread out and lower the air density. A higher humidity is better because water vapor is less dense than dry air. Lastly, higher elevation decreases drag. As elevation is increased, the amount of the air molecules decrease, giving a lower density (Agency