Mathematics in Science and Society
Spring 2011 MSS Lectures
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
245 Altgeld Hall, 4:00 p.m.
Speaker: Alan M. Nathan
(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Title: Baseball and Mathematics: It's More Than Batting Averages!
The goal of my presentation is to show how some very interesting aspects of our national passtime can be studied using mathematical techniques learned by most undergraduate science or engineering majors. The talk will focus on two broad aspects of the game: the dynamics of the baseball-bat collision and the flight of the baseball through the air. The mathematical techniques used to investigate these topics will include the following: numerical solutions of ordinary differential equations using Runge-Kutta techniques; solutions of partial differential equations using the generalized eigenvalue method; Fast Fourier Transform techniques; nonlinear least-squares fitting using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm; and solving simultaneous algebraic equations using Singular Value Decomposition. Using these techniques I will investigate some very practical questions, such as: what is the "sweet spot" of a bat; how does the batter's grip affect the batted ball; why does aluminum outperform wood; how far did that home run travel; how much does a curve ball break; and why is Mariano Rivera such a great pitcher. My talk should have something for everybody, whether your interest is baseball, mathematics, or the connection between them.