quote:Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
By the way, the potential for a fastball to rise is a topic that generates its own believers and non-believers. I happen to be a believer. But the physics explanation for the rising fastball has little to do with the seams and all to do with the spin, rotational velocity, and what your physics professor would call "dipole moment". After all, a billiard ball or a bowling ball (smoothly surfaced spheres) will travel a curved path if spun with "English".
Scientists have universally refuted the myth that a fastball can actually rise. For a baseball to do so, the Magnus effect would have to be greater than the weight of the baseball (coupled with the force of gravity) which is a physical impossibility. Simply put, a pitcher cannot create the sufficient rpm's for a baseball to do so. (Reference "The Physics of Baseball" by Robert K. Adair or visit http://www.angelfire.com/bc3/baseball2204/Magnus_Force.html for an explanation of the Magnus effect)
And, while I agree that smooth spheres do have the capability to curve (assuming sufficient spin), in the case of cue balls and bowling balls, both are dependent upon the surfaces they interact with. Anyone who has bowled on oily lanes can attest to that! I digress.