How Do Pitchers Throw Different Types of Pitches?

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This all has to do with the fact</div> <div>  that there is drag force, or air resistance. A curve ball is created when a ball </div> <div> is spinning.</div> <div>  <IMG SRC="092c99c0.jpg" border=0 width="201" height="156" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>  The faster flowing air under the ball creates less pressure, </div> <div> which forces the ball to dive or break. Baseball would be a dull game without</div> <div>  drag force because there would be no curves, sliders, or knuckle balls.</div> <div>      So what does this force do to the ball?  What happens to the ball once it </div> <div> is released is actually called the Magnus effect.  For a spinning ball, the </div> <div> stitches on the ball will cause pressure on one side to be less than on its </div> <div> opposite side.  This will force the ball to move faster on one side than the </div> <div> other and will force the ball to “curve.”  This is the Magnus Effect. </div> <div>   </div> <div> <IMG SRC="0947f250.gif" border=0 width="383" height="293" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>   <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >Origin of the Magnus force for a ball of radius , moving with speed , and</FONT></div> <div> spinning with angular velocity about an axis perpendicular to its direction </div> <div> of motion. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>      The conventional classification of baseball pitches is in terms of the </div> <div> direction of the ball's axis of spin.  </div> <bR> <div>   A “slider” is thrown such that its axis of rotation points vertically upward, </div> <div> which is the direction of spin generated by the natural clockwise rotation of </div> <div> a right-handed pitcher's wrist.  The Magnus force causes the ball to curve </div> <div> sideways, away from a right-handed hitter.  </div> <div> <IMG SRC="064a37f0.jpg" border=0 width="163" height="127" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>  </div> <div>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" > The “curveball” is thrown such that its axis of rotation, as seen by the </FONT></div> <div> hitter, points upwards, but also tilts to the right.  The Magnus force acting </div> <div> on a curveball causes the ball to deviate both sideways and downwards.  </div> <div> Thus, although a curveball usually doesn't move laterally as far as a slider,</div> <div>  it dips very rapidly--which makes it difficult to hit.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="09ca8830.jpg" border=0 width="168" height="131" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>   A pitch that curves towards a hitter is harder to hit than one that curves </div> <div> away.  It is actually possible for a right-handed pitcher to throw an inward </div> <div> curving pitch to a right-handed hitter.  Such a pitch is known as a “screwball.</div> <div> ”  The ball is thrown such that its axis of rotation, as seen by the hitter, </div> <div> points upwards and tilts to the left.  The pitch dips rapidly, like a curveball, </div> <div> but has a sideways displacement in the opposite<I> </I>direction to normal.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="062a27e0.jpg" border=0 width="162" height="126" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>   </div> <div>  Probably the most effective pitch in baseball is the “fastball.”  The Magnus </div> <div> force acting on a fastball has a large upward component, slowing the ball's</div> <div>  rate of fall.  The ball is thrown such that its axis of rotation, as seen by the</div> <div>  hitter, points downwards and tilts to the left.   </div> <div> <IMG SRC="05ea17d0.jpg" border=0 width="161" height="125" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>How much will a baseball curve?</b>. </div> <div> The equation is as follows :</div> <div> F<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >Magnus Force</FONT> = KwVC<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >v</FONT></div> <div> where: </div> <div> F<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >Magnus Force</FONT> is the Magnus Force </div> <bR> <div> K is the Magnus Coefficient </div> <bR> <div> w is the spin frequency measured in rpm </div> <bR> <div> V is the velocity of the ball in mph </div> <bR> <div> C<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >v</FONT> is the drag coefficient </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.cis.syr.edu/mame/simfluid/red/baseP.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.cis.syr.edu/mame/simfluid/red"><U>Click here to play around with a pitching simulator and find out how different</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.cis.syr.edu/mame/simfluid/red/baseP.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.cis.syr.edu/mame/simfluid/red"><U> factors such as the angle, velocity, and rpm effect pitching.</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>       </div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>