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Why can a person hit a ball farther if it is pitched fast than if it is pitched slowly?

User Zachary Newman
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1 Answer

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The faster ball will recoil faster, because the collision is partially elastic. The ball compresses at contact with the bat, and the outgoing velocity is faster than the bat velocity by the effect of the compression, which is always increasing with the incoming speed. So all else being equal, the faster ball recoils faster.
User Isuru
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