Robert Kemp Adair

You need to know a significant amount of math and physics to understand it: This book is one that the serious fan will enjoy, but only if you understand a good deal of physics. Some of the problems considered are which bat is best, considering variable length, shape, weight and the type of wood. To determine which of each is best, it is necessary to understand the physics of compressible bodies and how that will change the distance the ball will travel.
The physics of a pitched ball is also show more covered in detail. Understanding this requires knowledge of turbulence, and differential forces on a moving object. Knowing this, it is possible to explain how a baseball can be made to curve, how a fastball hops and how a knuckle ball knuckles. Some of the most interesting results were:

*) A batted ball should only be able to travel at most 545 feet in standard meteorological conditions.
*) The contact between a baseball and a bat lasts approximately 1/1000th of a second.
*) A 10-mile per hour headwind will turn a 400-foot drive into a 370 foot one.

Each chapter ends with a collection of technical notes that extend the topic of the chapter. This material is where the mathematics gets the heaviest.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is that none of the "common knowledge" accrued by baseball players was proven false. Curve balls do curve, and sometimes quite a bit. While a fast ball does not really hop, it does sink less than it otherwise would due to wind resistance, which to human experience, makes it appear to hop. I really enjoyed this book, as a mathematician it was fun to read the formulas that make the curve ball that I could never hit possible. show less

There is a review of this book on-site that says 'If the title sounds like something you would like, then it probably is." I agree. The nice thing about it is the fact that the modeling of physical systems involved in pitching and hitting is pretty imprecise. A lot of slack is used in the discussions, but the limits of how far a ball can be hit are good solid estimates. The question of how far a ball can be hit is answered logically and sequentially considering the elasticity of the ball and show more bat, swing and pitch speeds, air resistance, humidity and the Magnus force. It adds up to about 545-550 feet as you keep adding in more and more ideal situations. The fact most people miss is that there is a point where the wood will start to deform and crush instead of transferring energy to the ball. The Magnus force is the force that makes a golf ball rise from its backspin creating vortices of high pressure under the ball and low pressure above it. If that was a scary sentence then this is not the book for you. On the other hand, if a detailed analysis of the nodes and antinodes of a vibrating bat or the angles, spin, air pressure differences and velocities of the different pitches sounds like fun, then its meat and potatoes time. show less

A little confusing to someone who is not very good at science. However, it addresses a topic that can be related to and enjoyed. Explains America's past-time in a physics-centered way. Makes learning physics interesting, especially if reader enjoys baseball.

This book is exactly what it sounds like—maybe a little more reader-friendly than you'd expect, but all the equations are there. If the title alone makes you think you'd be interested by the contents, then you probably will be.