Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-09-08
THE BASEBALL'S CURVES.
The Variations Due to Barometic DIFF.
ferences in the Atmosphere.


can't is now thirty-three years
since the question arose as to whether
or not a baseball thrown from the
hand could be made to deviate horl-
zontally from a straight line. Expert
ment proved that the flight OF bail
could be made to curve to the right or
TO the left by skillful pitching. This
was accomplished by the simple eX-
pedient of placing a plank upright on
the ground, and from point at right
angles to the middle of one of its
broad sides, twirling a ball to a point
back of the centre of the plank.
Since then, it is accepted as fact by
ell baseball players, that the flight
Of ball can also, under fine handling,
be made to incurve abnormally down
ward or upward with reference to its
landirg place; that is, either in tle
direction of or contrary to the attrac-
ton of gravitation.
The period mentioned was in the in
fancy of skilled baseball playing
Since then, a generation of players of
the game has grown up, and the cor
slant repetition of the phenomenon
mentioned has become so grated
with common experience that few per
sons conversant with the game ever
thinks that it needs explanation. The
character of the pitch, whatever Il
may be, seems just as natural to them
as that of the slight vertical curve OF
the ball when compounded simply OF
the forces of it's projection and the
attraction of gravitation. To so feel
about the abnormal curved courses OF
the ball is, however, only habit OF
mind, habitual experience of any kind
CT action mostly assuming. without APP.
preciating, the reason for things. The
average baseball player accounts for
the phenomenon by saying that it is
caused by the pitchers giving the
ball a twist as it leaves his hand.
But that statement does not account
for its being thereby compelled to
move in an eccentric orbit.
If, in calm, one let's fall feather,
one sees that it descends slowly AMI
with deviation from the vertical But,
let him cause feather to fall from
the top of the inside of the exhausted
glass receiver of an air pump and he
win see that it falls plumb, like a
shot. A body projected in space
would proceed forever at the same
rate, and in straight line, were not
space full of bodies that would at
tract 1t. This is one of Sir Isaac New
toms laws of motion. Resistance of
some kind is, in word. indispensable
to making a moving body deviate from
the particular speed and course i'm
pressed upon it by its original projec-
tile force and by the attraction of
gravitation.
1t is, therefore, the resistance of the
atmosphere, as well as the forces of
projection and rotation of the base
ball. which makes the ball describe a
curve to the right. to the left, upward.
or downward. The right-handed pitt
cher delivers his "out-shoot" with
much greater effect of incurve at the
plate than he can accomplish with
his "inshoot." The left-handed pit
cher, delivers his "outshoot" more ef-
fectively than his ''inshoot" The rea-
son is that although, in each case, the
speed of the ball for "outshoot" and
'inshoot" is the same, the speed of
its rotation is very different The cen.
trifugal rotary force impressed by the
pitcher upon the ball, opposed by the
friction of the atmosphere, packed by
the balls rapid duplex movement. be-
ing weaker in the "inshoot" than IN
the "outshoot," permits of less cur
vature there in the balls fight than
is possible in the "outshoot." In all
cases, the ball makes its incurve at
the plate. whether horizontally, from
right or left, or vertically, from above
Or below, because friction of the at.
mosphere, compressed by the balls
combined velocity and speed of rota-
ton retards and finally exhausts its
movement of rotation at the end of it's
flight. The two movements Of the ball.
and the resistance of the atmosphere.
forming together three compounded
forces. compel the fight of the rail- to
assume the form of a curve. As the
ball leaves the hand of the pitcher, it
whirls onward until. the quiekness Of
its rotation being diminished by fric-
ton on its surface from the atmos-
Dhere, and thereby weakened. it curves
either upward inward. or from right
Or left with 'sference TO the "plate"
of the baseball field.
Anyone should be able to resIizo
the truth Of this Demonstration ~ tho