The Physics of Baseball (3rd Edition)
by Robert K. Adair
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert K. AdairEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-05-07
ISBN: 0060084367
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of The Physics of Baseball (3rd Edition)
Book Review: A valiant effort at a difficult test
Summary: 4 Stars
Beginning with the baseball itself, Adair delves into the design of the ball from its raised stitches to the bound cowhide cover and even to the rubber core. Using the ball's design as a basis, he goes on to discuss how the flight of that ball can be affected by wind, temperature, and altitude. Throughout the next few chapters, he focuses specifically on the flight of the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand and how pitchers have found waves to manipulate that flight in their advantage. Pitchers, he says, face the task of maximizing velocity when needed but changing speed and directions in order to keep the batter guessing. Luckily for baseball fans (at least those that appreciate a well-pitched game) pitchers understand principles of physics better than they think. Additionally, a batted ball's flight, even detailing the theoretical maximum flight distance of the ball (545 feet, by the way), is described.
It is not only the pitchers and batters who need an understanding of physics to be successful in baseball, according to Adair. In fact, anyone who needs to judge the flight of a ball in order to catch it better know that the batter's choice of bat and where the batter contacted the pitched ball will affect the direction and magnitude of his--the fielder's--pursuit. Anyone who needs to run at maximum speed from base to base certainly should be aware that they won't be as fast as, say, Carl Lewis, since their start time is hindered by the efforts of the pitcher to "keep him honest." Even a player who needs to throw the ball from one part of the field to another must consider that his distance from the location of the desired landing point of the ball along with the weather conditions on that particular day will affect the velocity and trajectory with which he releases the ball. So, essentially, as Adair describes in the book, every player on a baseball team utilizes principles of physics to be successful, whether he--the player--likes it or not.
My desire for the book as I, a baseball fan, initially picked it up was to better understand baseball. Why does a curveball curve? Do balls really go farther in Denver? Why does a "corked" bat give a batter an advantage? Why are players now using lighter bats than the sluggers of the old days did? After reading the book, I better understand the answers to these questions. Yet, while Adair essentially answered my questions, it was somewhat difficult to get to those conclusions. Though he himself states that the book is intended for those interested in baseball, not physics, I was often lost in his description of the physics. It was not as simple as I had hoped. Now, that is certainly no fault of Adair. It is not that his descriptions were more difficult than needed but rather that baseball is not a simple game to describe fully. The book exemplified that fact beautifully. So, perhaps a physicist did not invent the game. Despite that fact, it is nevertheless a complex game that simple people can watch, play, and enjoy.
Summary of The Physics of Baseball (3rd Edition)
Blending scientific fact and sports trivia, Robert Adair examines what a baseball or player in motion does-and why. How fast can a batted ball go? What effect do stitch patterns have on wind resistance? How far does a curve ball break? Who reaches first base faster after a bunt, a right- or left-handed batter? The answers are often surprising -- and always illuminating.
This newly revised third edition considers recent developments in the science of sport such as the neurophysiology of batting, bat vibration, and the character of the "sweet spot." Faster pitchers, longer hitters, and enclosed stadiums also get a good, hard scientific look to determine their effects on the game.
Filled with anecdotes about famous players and incidents, The Physics of Baseball provides fans with fascinating insights into America's favorite pastime.
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