Hi Faculty, Students and Staff: Department of Physics and Astronomy Events for Week of September 14/09 are: Monday, 9/14/09 Society of Physics Students General Interest Meeting Come find out what we have planned for the new school year! When: Monday, 9/14 at 12:00 Where: Robinson 253 (upstairs) FREE PIZZA in Robinson 251 (Knipp Library) Questions? Contact erin van_erp tufts edu Special Physics Department Colloquium Wednesday, September 16, 2009 4:30 pm Robinson 253 Physics and Baseball: An Intersection of Passions Professor Alan Nathan University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignI have been a physicist for all my professional life. I have been a baseball fan even longer. And in recent years, I have figured out that I can do both physics and baseball at the same time. It is truly like having your cake and eating it too.
In this talk, I will tell some of the ways that a physicist analyzes the game of baseball. In the course of doing so, I will address some interesting and practical questions from a physics perspective, such as: How does a baseball bat work? Why do aluminum bats outperform wood bats? Does corking the bat help? How much did that curve ball break? How do ball parks differ in the "carry" of a fly ball? Why are towering popups difficult to catch? What characteristics of a batted ball lead to a safe hit? My goal is that all will enjoy this talk, whether your interest is physics, baseball, or the intersection between them.
Attachment:
Sep 14 General Interest Meeting.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document
Attachment:
Nathan Colloquium Info2.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document