Final answer:
Aroldis Chapman holds the record for the fastest pitch at 105.1 mph. Calculations show a baseball pitched by Nolan Ryan would take about 0.414 seconds to reach home plate, faster than the average human reaction time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fastest pitch ever recorded is option a) Aroldis Chapman's fastball, which reached a top speed of 105.1 mph. This record-setting pitch surpasses the velocities of pitches thrown by Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. To calculate how long it would take a ball thrown by Nolan Ryan to reach home plate, we need to convert his pitch speed from kilometers per hour to meters per second and then use the formula time = distance / speed.
For example, Nolan Ryan's fastball at 160.0 km/h is approximately 44.44 m/s. The distance to home plate is 18.4 meters, so the time taken for the ball to reach home plate is 18.4 m / 44.44 m/s ≈ 0.414 seconds. This is faster than the average human reaction time to a visual stimulus, which is 0.25 seconds, indicating the incredible challenge batters face when reacting to fast pitches.