Today we take a look at the center of percussion. #physics #science #stem #mlb #baseball

[mjdryden]

Not challenging your knowledge of this subject, but the sweet spot on a baseball bat is much closer to the second black strip than the first. The first strip is a spot we'd call "getting jammed".

[mitchellminer]

I am not a expert on sport, but if the sweet spot of the bat isn't somewhere around the middle of the fat part, it is a very poorly-designed bat.
Since we are talking about rotation, I am guessing that the sweet spot is where, after ball impact, the reduction in the bat's swing speed is matched by its reduction in rotational speed. (In other words, the bat doesn't get torqued out of your hands.)

What is demonstrated here is vaguely similar in concept, but it leaves out the sweeping length of the batter's arms. The bat will not be rotating around the handle.

The bat is not a xylophone.

[melonaaah]

So this is why my hands hurt so much when the ball hits a wrong part of the bat.

[Liesmith]

This is the most polite threat for protection money I've ever seen.

[tubePEB]

1st approximation to COP is the center of gravity of the bat since a collision there decelerates without generating a torque. Better approximation is slightly farther from the pivot point to also generate a torque that absorbs the angular momentum of bat's rotation.

[esnevip]

This is the same reason japanese Kyudo bows are so long on the top, so where the archer grips the bow is right where the sine of the vibration crosses and has no amplitude.

[JconMerc]

Hey, I’m in your LEC2 8.01 class and I love your demonstrations, it really gives an intuitive view to the topics in class. ❤❤

[petergibson]

I would call it the “centre of resonance” (the null point of a standing sine wave) rather than “percussion”.

[Whisper]

It depends on whether you are hitting the ball to feel comfortable or you are hitting the ball for maximum velocity. CoP does not hit the ball for maximum velocity.

[copyintheoh]

Pretty sneaky cut and being super careful and looking at the pencil when rotating the bat back up

[malta]

Great demo! They don't always go as planned, but props for admitting that freely!

[stevewenners]

That kind of explains all the broken bone scenarios from people playing "mailbox baseball".
(swinging at mailboxes while driving by)

[Lynwood_Jackson]

Who else had a flashback to being 8 years old, hitting the ball with the end of the bat on a cold spring morning?

[timothy-bf]

Interesting note: if the bat hits at the spot near the grip, the pencil will break upward. A hit near the end will break the pencil downward.

[Neo-wtsv]

This sweet spot depend on the pivot point (the spot you hold the bat) isn't it?

[TheSpectralArtisan]

If only someone told me about this when I first tried baseball- I may have enjoyed the sport if it didn’t continuously feel like I shattered every bone in my hands to my elbows every time 🤣

[tauruschorus]

Bro I literally was taught to hit near the line closest to the head of the bat and they told me that was the sweet spot…

[SDarkVader]

If you dont want the lighting to change between shots, turn off auto white balance and then add a touch of brightness in post. Colours wont change and it would be less jarring.

[keithrobicheux]

This might explain why I liked my bat as a child

[partiespronto]

This seems like it's a sweet spot to hit so you save your hands from injury due to vibration not the best point of place to hit the ball for Max distance.