Physics Q: At which point is a baseball pitch at its highest velocity?

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DarkJediKnight

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We're starting a fantasy baseball league among friends. Anyways, we got around to discussing when the baseball reaches maximum velocity. Some are saying it is when the pitcher releases the ball, some say when the ball reaches the plate, and some think it's when the ball starts to descent from its arc.

Did a bit of googling but really couldn't find much aside from some radar gun info. Any scientific proof when the ball would be fastest?
 
Masta_Killah said:
right at release. Think cannon arm and guns.
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Yea, I was actually thinking of the sniper rifle and how the arc of the bullet and the impact compares. The bullet slows down drastically depending on the distance.
 
Theres no force to speed it up after it launches. Well, there is gravity but over such a short distance it probably wouldn't matter.
 
With wind resistance: The moment it leave the hands.
Without wind resistance: When it hits the ground.
 
Doesn't this depend on the y or x axis of movement? Horizontally the velocity is constant, but vertically the ball is at its highest velocity at the point of release, lowest at the apex of its travel, then highest again when it reaches its original point, then higher still if it goes further (ie falling off a cliff).
 
Shawn128 said:
Doesn't this depend on the y or x axis of movement? Horizontally the velocity is constant, but vertically the ball is at its highest velocity at the point of release, lowest at the apex of its travel, then highest again when it reaches its original point, then higher still if it goes further (ie falling off a cliff).
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in real life, there is wind resistance
 
Where do radar guns clock a fastball then? Cause I imagine it would greatly change depending on where the radar gun is at.

I remember Mark Prior was said to have a fastball that was deceptively fast, and some people claimed it would gain momentum. I think it was because most of his power game from his legs, and his arm showed no signs of 93-95 mph speed.
 
It really depends on how much air resistance is present (after all, it is accelerating due to gravity, and if we were on the Moon, a level-launched ball would actually gain kinetic energy over its arc), but it sounds like you're closer than your friends: at release.
 
J2 Cool said:
I remember Mark Prior was said to have a fastball that was deceptively fast, and some people claimed it would gain momentum.
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Any sense of "gaining momentum" would be due to a visual trick due to the release point, apparent trajectory, spin, rate of lateral movement, etc combining in a batter's head to where they think the fastball will end up one place but ends up somewhere else unexpectedly. There's no way it would get faster after release.
 
XiaNaphryz said:
Any sense of "gaining momentum" would be due to a visual trick due to the release point, apparent trajectory, spin, rate of lateral movement, etc combining in a batter's head to where they think the fastball will end up one place but ends up somewhere else unexpectedly. There's no way it would get faster after release.
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Unless the ball is stealing energy from subspace.
 
OuterWorldVoice said:
Unless the ball is stealing energy from subspace.
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But then you're entering this territory:

Baseballsim1000SNES_boxart.jpg
 
J2 Cool said:
Where do radar guns clock a fastball then? Cause I imagine it would greatly change depending on where the radar gun is at.

I remember Mark Prior was said to have a fastball that was deceptively fast, and some people claimed it would gain momentum. I think it was because most of his power game from his legs, and his arm showed no signs of 93-95 mph speed.
Click to expand...


I think they measure the speed a couple of feet after the ball is thrown. Nowadays I think MLB tracks both out of arm speed and the speed at which it crosses the plate as well. Most fastballs lose about 8-10 mph by the time they cross the plate.
 
At the point of release a pitch is at its highest velocity. It was shown throughout the playoffs on FOX both speeds of the pitch at the point of release and when it crossed the plate.
 
Dr.Guru of Peru said:
Theres no force to speed it up after it launches. Well, there is gravity but over such a short distance it probably wouldn't matter.
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What if you pitch a baseball down off a building? Would the air resistance slow it down more then gravity would speed it up?
 
How can anyone think that it is at its highest velocity when it reaches the plate? I know next to nothing about physics and even I know that that doesn't make any sense.
 
Right after it leaves Alex Rodriquez's bat destined for the upper deck.

edit: beaten by an equally witty remark. And a D.Wade fan to boot! :lol

Ninja Scooter said:
right at the point when Brad Lidge turns around to watch it leave the park.
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Drkirby said:
What if you pitch a baseball down off a building? Would the air resistance slow it down more then gravity would speed it up?
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Assuming its a tall building, you'd have to figure out what the terminal velocity of a baseball is. The effect of wind resistance depends on a lot of factors, so you'd pretty much have to try it and find out.

Someone's probably done it.
 
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