Final answer:
The acceleration of the baseball is calculated using Newton's second law of motion, resulting in an acceleration of 126,896.55 m/s² when a force of 18,400 N is applied to a ball with a mass of 145 g (0.145 kg).
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculating the Acceleration of a Baseball
To calculate the acceleration of a baseball when a known force is applied, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration (F = ma). The question provides the mass of the baseball as 145 g, which we need to convert to kilograms to use in the formula (since the standard unit of mass in physics is kilograms), resulting in 0.145 kg. The force exerted by the bat on the ball is given as 18,400 N.
Using the formula, we have:
acceleration (a) = force (F) / mass (m)
a = 18,400 N / 0.145 kg
a = 126,896.55 m/s²
The acceleration of the ball would therefore be 126,896.55 meters per second squared (m/s²). This is an extremely high acceleration, indicative of an idealized or hypothetical situation in most real-world circumstances such as Making Connections: Baseball.