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How the Physics of Baseball Works

Author's Note

I played baseball for 10 or 11 years when I was a kid. I was a competent shortstop and an OK batter, and I loved playing the game even if I didn't understand all of the science. I wonder now, after writing this article, how the game would have been different if my coaches had taught me some of the physics behind pitching, hitting and fielding. Then again, what 10-year-old kid wants to know about the coefficient of restitution? Some concepts, even in baseball, are better left for an older, more mature player.

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