Subscribe now

Physics

Seams on a baseball shift its trajectory by unexpectedly large amount

When a baseball is tilted and spinning just right, its raised, hand-stitched seams skew the process by which its wake is created and radically shift its trajectory in the air

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

7 December 2023

Baseball player

A baseball’s seams play a larger part in the sport than we had thought

Aaron Doster/Getty Images

The seams on a baseball play an unexpectedly large role in shifting its trajectory in midair.

Read more

AI helps cyclists work out how much to eat during the Tour de France

How a baseball flies after leaving the pitcher’s hand depends on factors including its speed and spin and even the weather at the ballpark. Barton Smith at Utah State University and his colleagues discovered that the orientation of the baseball’s seams also plays a part,…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

View introductory offers

No commitment, cancel anytime*

Offer ends 2nd of July 2024.

*Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues.

Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account

More from New Scientist

Explore the latest news, articles and features

Popular articles

Trending New Scientist articles

1

Rethinking space and time could let us do away with dark matter

2

Alzheimer’s may be caused by a build-up of fat in brain cells

3

Five climate megaprojects that might just save the world

4

Sleeping black hole is way more massive than it should be

5

How to see the incredible comet 12P/Pons-Brooks tonight

6

There are growing fears of an alarming shift in Antarctic sea ice

7

The scientific secrets to baking a perfectly moist chocolate cake

8

Babies with bilingual mothers have distinct brainwaves at 1 day old

9

Giant sequoia trees are growing surprisingly quickly in the UK

10

Extreme heat could trigger the worst global financial crisis ever seen