I have been doing physics research all my professional life. I've been a big baseball fan even longer. So, when I had the opportunity to do genuine research in the physics of baseball, it truly was "having your cake and eating it too." In this talk I'll tell you a bit about my personal journey and discuss some of the work I have done over the years, with special emphases on two important topics, the physics of the ball-bat collision and the flight of the baseball through the air. Both topics are rich in phenomena that are amenable to physics analyses. Along the way, I answer many of the following questions:
How does a baseball bat work, and why is aluminum better than wood?
How does the flight of a baseball in the real world differ from that in a "Physics 101" world?
How can pitchers use physics to "design" their pitches?
How can batters use physics to optimize their hitting strategies?
What's the deal with the humidor?
Why the increase in home runs?
There should be something in this talk for everyone, whether your primary interest is physics, baseball, or something in between.
