Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-07-18
By Prof. a. L. Hodges,
The WcH-kno,un Phy.iei.t

y
baseball records by hitting twenty.
nine homo runs. And this season
there is every indication that he will beat
his 1919 total hy n wide margin.
What is the secret OF Ruth's ability TO
make home runs with such surprising fire.
Guency? ~ II because he is possessed OF
greater strength than his fellow players?
Is II because his vision is kcencr or his
muscles better co.ordinated?
All these things doubtless have some.
thing 10 do with IT, but the real reason for
this phenomenal series Of home runs sci
cnCc finds to be the way Ruth applies TO
his work with the bat certain well.known
principles OF physics and psychology.
But" YOU say. Ruth Is ball player.
WHAT does he know Of physics or psy-
chology?'
Noticing. perhaps. but whether con-
sciously Or unconsciousy Ruth applies
certain wel-known principles OF these two
sciences every time he makes home run
Let us consider some OF the many inter
csting scientific factors involved in bat
ting ball
As every follower OF baseball knows, q
home run is the knocking OF the ball ou:
OF the reach OF opposing players and in
such a direction and to such I; distance as
so make It's return Impossible before thu
runner completes the circuit OF the bases
ting of q home run means simply hitting
the ball with the bat so as to give 1t great
speed III the proper direction. The spe ID
and direction which the bat can TO made 20
give the ball depend on the degree of Til :
curve which the pitcher has Impaired to
of the bat, the elasticity OF the ball and
bat. and the angle at which .ho ball in
pinges on the bat.
The speed which n ball es on i'm
mediatcly after its collision with the bat
is Il little difficult to compute because
neither the bat nor the ball is perfectly
elastic or perfectly non-elastic. To illus
tratc tho difficulty Of such O c. mputatOn
let me explain what happens when per-
fectly elastic and perfectly hon-elastic
bodies come into collision.
If two inclastic hodies-say two pieces
of lead--of equal weight and going with
equal speed. but in opposite directions
meet squarcly In mid-air. they will both
stop and fall to the ground, all theii
energy OF motion having been turned into
heat. If. however. perfectly elastic bodies
Of the same weight going with the same
velocity, but i'll opposite directions, meet
in mid-air, they will bounce back with
the same yclocity they had originally. II
one of these bodies has twice the velocity
OF tho other the latter Will bounce back
with twice its original velocity and the
former will bounce back only half as fast
All this applies to bodies having the same
weight Whenever one of the colliding
bodies is heavier than the other, the We.
locity given the latter body upon bouncing
is enormously increased.
The bat which Babe" Ruth Yields and
the ball which he hits are both fairly elias.
tic; therefore everything else being equal
the ball will be driven farther the heavier
the bat and the faster the bat is moving
rs it hits the ball. Also, as tho weight of
Babe" Ruth's body prevents his bat from
doing much bouncing back, the faster the
ball comes the farther 1t will 60 when he
hits it.
The weight of the ball itsels Is a very
important factor In hitting home rum
viewed rs scientific problem. IF there