Home Run!: Science Projects with Baseball and Softball Book

Introduction 7

Chapter 1 Environmental Factors 11

1.1 How Does Wind Affect a Ball? 13

1.2 Does Rain Affect a Ball's Bounce? 17

1.3 How Does a Wet Ball Field Affect the Movement of a Ground Ball? 21

Chapter 2 Transfer of Energy 27

2.1 How Does the Weight of a Bat Affect a Hit? 29

2.2 How Does the Hardness of a Ball Affect the Distance a Batter Can Hit It? 33

2.3 Does the Distance Between Hands Placed on a Bat Affect the Distance of a Hit? 36

2.4 How Does Striking a Ball Off-Center Differ From Hitting It Dead-Center? 38

Chapter 3 Statistics 43

3.1 Can a Small Sample Accurately Represent the Larger Group? 45

3.2 Batting Average and the True Value of a Hitter 49

Chapter 4 Friction and Pressure 53

4.1 How Do Shoes Affect a Runner's Speed? 55

4.2 Does a Spinning Ball Travel in a Straight or Curved Path? 58

4.3 Can a Batting Glove Help Your Hitting? 63

Chapter 5 Bat Use 67

5.1 Which Bat Weight Is Best for You? 69

5.2 Does Swinging Early or Late Determine the Direction of a Hit? 71

5.3 Does "Choking Up" on the Bat Increase Bat Control? 75

Chapter 6 Creative Baseball and Softball 79

6.1 Where Within the Strike Zone Is Your Strongest Swing? 81

6.2 What Is the Fastest Way to Get the Ball From Deep Center Field to Home Plate? 85

6.3 Can You Improve Your Pitching to the Extreme Edges of the Strike Zone? 89

6.4 Can You Make Up Your Own Game That Will Improve Your Baseball or Softball Skills? 92

Glossary 97

Further Reading 99

Internet Addresses 100

Index 101

About the Authors 104