The Effect of Baseball Bat Length and Material on the Location of the "Sweet Spot"

The following experiment demonstrates how to determine the effects of the two factors of length and material on a baseball bat’s “sweet spot” location (the point on the baseball bat that absorbs the least energy while the ball absorbs the most energy). The independent variables were the length and the material of the tested baseball bats. The dependent variable recorded during trials was the acceleration of the barrel end of the bat. The accelerations of the bat after striking it at different points (every five centimeters beginning at the handle end of the bat) with a force hammer were then used to decipher the location of the sweet spot of the bat by determining the point of least acceleration through regression modeling. The goal of conducting the trials in this method of experiment was to discover the significance of various baseball bat lengths and materials in affecting sweet spot location. Knowing how these factors have an effect can improve bat production and selection by baseball bat producers and consumers as well as assist in the construction industry.

The established hypothesis that the largest length composite bat would produce a sweet spot furthest from the barrel end of the bat while the shortest length wood bat would produce a sweet spot closest from the barrel end of the bat was supported and accepted from the experiment conducted.

Research Conducted By:

Zachary Allor
Lakeview High School

Jacob Dupre
Lakeview High School

 

 

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