Baseball speed is one of the primary criteria that baseball scouts use in selecting pitchers. A radar gun is the most accurate method of measuring the speed of a baseball at a particular point. You can also estimate the average speed of a baseball over the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate. This will provide the baseball's speed in feet per second, which you can then convert to miles per hour.
Step 1
Determine the distance that the ball will be thrown for using a measuring tape. For example, the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate in a major league baseball diamond is 60.5 feet.
Step 2
Use a stopwatch to measure the time that it takes for the baseball to travel from the pitcher's mound to home plate. Assume, for example, that this takes 0.57 seconds.
Step 3
Calculate the average speed of the baseball in units of feet per second. This is given by the equation S = D / T, where "S" is the average speed of the baseball in feet per second, "D" is the distance in feet and "T" is the time in seconds. The speed of the baseball in this example is S = 60.5 / 0.57 = 106 feet per second.
Step 4
Convert feet per second to miles per hour (mph) by multiplying by 3,600 / 5,280. An hour is equal to 3,600 seconds and a mile is equal 5,280 feet, giving a conversion of 3,600 / 5,280. A speed of 106 feet is therefore equal to 106 x (3,600 / 5,280) = 72 mph.
Step 5
Compute the baseball's speed in miles per hour directly from the time. This is given by the equation S = (60.5 / T) x (3,600 / 5,280) = 41.25 / T. The average speed of a baseball when thrown from the pitcher's mound is therefore S = 41.25 / T, where "S" is the speed in miles per hour and "T" is the time in seconds.
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Stopwatch
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