Terminal Velocity Of a Falling Baseball page 1 of 6By William GrecoWarrington, Pa.July 2009Executive SummaryWhen a baseball falls through air,

itÿs inertia is opposed by air friction.The ball will achieve a terminal velocity when the mass of the ball matchesthe air friction forces which oppose it. To reach the terminal velocity the ballmust have reached a minimum altitude above the local elevation.The following equations, charts and examples explore theþTerminal Velocity Of a Falling Baseballý.MainThe mass (W) of the baseball must match the aerodynamic forces D (air friction) to reach terminal velocity.

2DD

W = D (equation-1)W = mass of the baseballD = aerodynamic dragDrag is represented by: pD = CVA (equation-2)2where:C= Coefficient of drag (0.43 for a s

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2D

 phere) p = air density taken at sea levelV = VelocityA = surface area of the sphere (1/2 of the total area)Substituting W for D we have: pW = CVA (equation-2a)2

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Terminal Velocity Of a Falling Baseball page 2 of 6By William GrecoWarrington, Pa.July 2009

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2D2D2D2DD2D2DDD

Solving for V (velocity):CPVA pW = CVA = 22Multiply both sides by 2:CPVA2W = (2) = 2W = CPVA2Divide both sides by CPA:CPVA2W2W= = V= CPACPAC

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D

PATake the square root of both sides :2WV = (equation-3)CPA

Characteristics of a Baseball Table-1VariableMetric SystemInch-Pound SystemC

D

0.430.43W1.39 newtons10.05 poundalsP1.226 kg/m

3

0.0766 lbs/ft

3

 A0.00877 m

2

0.0944 ft

2

Note: A represents ½ of the baseball sphere because only half of the sphererepresents the frontal area that is acted upon by the air resistance.

 

Terminal Velocity Of a Falling Baseball page 3 of 6By William GrecoWarrington, Pa.July 2009A poundal is

a unit of force equal to the force that imparts an acceleration of 1 foot/sec/sec to a mass of 1 pound; equal to 0.1382 newtons

1 newton (N) is defined as the force required to give a massof 1 kilograman accelerationof 1 m s

-2

.

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1 pound of force = 4.45 newtons, averagebaseball weighs = 5 oz5 oz1.39= 0.313 lbs4.45= 1.39 newtons = 10.05 poundalsoz0.138216 lbApplying table-1 and equation-3 the terminal velocity of a baseballin the metric (SI) system International :

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D

21.392WmV = = ()= 24.521 CPA0.43 1.2260.00877secmft24.521 = 80.44 = 54.84 mph secsecApplying table-1 and equation-3 the terminal velocity of a baseballin the Inch-Pound (IP) system :

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D

210.052WftV = = ()= 80.4 CPA0.43 0.07660.0944secft80.4 = 54.8 mph sec