Baseball Bat Debate: Wood Vs. Aluminum

1. Baseball Bat Debate: Wood vs. Aluminum Baseball Bat Debate: Wood Vs. Aluminum By: Christopher Merone, Michael Indelicato, and Richard Centra

2. Hypothesis: • We, as a group, hypothesized that the Aluminum baseball bat will be more advantageous in the game of baseball rather than a wooden baseball bat.

3. Aluminum: Hollow core Doesn’t break, might dent. Easier to swing Less sting on player’s hands when contact is made. Bat weight is evenly distributed. Wood: Plastic core Will break, which affects the rate of the game. Harder to swing. More maintenance such as: applying pine tar or tape in order for the player to get a clean grip. More sting. Top heavy. Compare and Contrast: Wooden Bat and an Aluminum Bat:

4. Diagram referring to last slide:

6.  Where the ball usually landed after we hit with an aluminum bat. (throughout the mid-outfield to deep outfield)  Where the ball usually landed after we hit with the wooden baseball bat. (outfield grass line) Where baseballs landed after using the bats. Starting point  Key:

7. Methods and Observations: • We used trial and error and marked the “sweet spots” of the bat tape in order to see where the ball landed throughout the baseball bat. • You may be wondering what the “sweet spot” on the ball really is: The spot on the bat that produces the least amount of sting on the player’s hands, when contact is made. • Besides testing which bat would be more advantageous, we tested to see if hitting the ball on the “sweet spots,” would affect the rate at which the ball travels. • Trampoline affect: When a baseball makes contact with an aluminum bat, the bat compresses like a spring at the point of contact.  The baseball is not compressed and does not lose energy to friction forces.  The trampoline effect returns the energy back to the ball.

9. DISTANCE NOT ON SWEET SPOT:

10. DISTANCE OF BUNTING:

11. Time of swings

12. Conclusion: • After much testing and note taking, we have proven our hypothesis to be correct, that an aluminum baseball bat, is in fact, more advantageous. • We enjoyed performing our experiment, and we hope this project was a help to many player’s who want to fulfill their task of playing baseball, on the highest of levels.

13. Any Questions?

14. Baseball Bat Debate: If there are not any more questions: Thank-you for your time! Christopher Merone, Michael Indelicato, and Richard Centra