What if…
From the invaluable Randall Munroe, creator of xkcd, a new feature, What If?— “answering your hypothetical questions with physics, every Tuesday.”
First up:
What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90% the speed of light?
– Ellen McManis
The answer turns out to be “a lot of things”, and they all happen very quickly, and it doesn’t end well for the batter (or the pitcher). I sat down with some physics books, a Nolan Ryan action figure, and a bunch of videotapes of nuclear tests and tried to sort it all out. What follows is my best guess at a nanosecond-by-nanosecond portrait…
Read the whole sad tale (and see the other explanatory illustrations) at What If?
###
As we restrain ourselves on the mound, we might recall that it was on this date in 1990 that White Sox first baseman Steve Lyons slid headfirst to beat out a bunt… a play that became memorable when he dropped his pants to brush away the dirt inside his uniform in front of 14,770 fans at Tiger Stadium.
(video)