Question

Your baseball teammates, having just studied this chapter, are concerned about generating enough voltage to shock them while swinging aluminum bats at fastballs. Compute the maximum possible motional emf measured between the ends of an aluminum baseball bat during a swing. Do you think your team should switch to wooden bats to avoid electrocution?

Answer 1

The maximum possible motional emf measured between the ends of an aluminum baseball bat during a swing is small and poses no risk of electrocution. Therefore, it is not necessary to switch to wooden bats to avoid electrocution.

Step-by-step explanation:

The maximum possible motional emf measured between the ends of an aluminum baseball bat during a swing can be calculated using the equation emf = Blv, where B is the magnitude of the magnetic field, l is the length of the bat, and v is the velocity of the bat. It is important to note that the Earth's weak magnetic field does not generate large motional emf. For example, a simple calculation of the motional emf of a 1.0-m bat moving at 3.0 m/s perpendicular to the Earth's field gives an emf of 150 µV, which is a small value.

Therefore, there is no risk of electrocution when using aluminum bats during a baseball swing, as the generated voltage is extremely low. It is not necessary to switch to wooden bats to avoid electrocution.