Types of Bat–Ball Collisions

Abstract

Collisions between baseballs, softballs and bats are complex and therefore their models are complex. One purpose of this book is to show how complex these collisions can be, while still being modeled using only Newton’s axioms and the conservation laws of physics. This book presents models for the speed and spin of balls and bats. These models and equations for bat–ball collisions are intended for use by high school and college physics students, engineering students, the baseball analytics community and most importantly nonprofessional students of the science of baseball. Unlike models in previous books and papers, these models use only simple Newtonian axioms and the conservation laws to explain simple bat–ball collision configurations.