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Message: [QUOTE="JoePgh, post: 3249195, member: 1131"] This question pertains to the sports of tennis and baseball, not basketball, which is why it is OT. In tennis, when top players serve, the velocity of the serve is typically measured at around 120 mph for men and 105 mph for the most powerful women such as Serena Williams. In baseball, the fastest major league pitch speeds are around 100 mph, and the fastest exit velocities on batted balls are in the 105-110 mph range. Obviously, tennis balls are different from baseballs, and I'm sure that accounts for some of the difference. There is also a big difference insofar as the batter in baseball is hitting an object that is moving at a high velocity in the opposite direction to his hit, whereas the tennis player (when he or she serves) is hitting a ball with a minor upward or downward velocity but essentially zero horizontal velocity. Question: Does the speed of the pitch help or hurt the velocity of the batted ball in baseball when the batter makes solid contact? In other words, if a batter applies the same swing and hits the ball equally solidly, will the exit velocity be higher or lower when the pitch is 80 mph vs. when it is 100 mph? I can see intuitive arguments for either conclusion. On the one hand, one could argue that the speed of the pitch functions like a headwind on an airplane, such that a plane's ground speed will be slowed by a headwind. That would imply that the same swing and the same contact on a fast pitch would result in a lower exit velocity if the pitch is fast than if it is slow. On the other hand, one could analogize to throwing a baseball against a cement wall. In that case, the ball will bounce back faster and further if it is thrown hard than if it is thrown slowly against the wall. That would suggest that the energy of the pitch (higher on a fast pitch than a slow pitch) would add to the energy generated by contact with the bat and lead to a higher exit velocity. Does anyone know the "right" answer as a matter of physical mechanics? If so, could you explain (hopefully simply) the physics behind your answer? [/QUOTE]

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