The one thing that tops off an exciting home run is knowing the how far it was hit. On the back wall of almost every field, there are distances measured in feet. If the ball travels much farther than the wall, how do they know exactly how far it went? A simple formula is all it takes to learn the distance of each home run.
Measuring Your Hits
Step 1
The simplest formula for distance, without adding extra variables, is distance of the ball equals batted speed multiplied by the time it takes to land.
Step 2
Throw the ball or use a batting machine until a successful hit occurs. This is where you should have more than two people. One person needs to throw the ball, or use a pitching machine. Another person will be batting, and the third person will be doing calculations.
Step 3
Find the speed of your hit. A radar gun will tell you how fast the ball is hit at the point of contact with the bat. All radar guns measure speed in miles per hour. Many guns can be switched to other measurements. You will need to measure your hit in meters per second. Write the speed on the paper.
Step 4
Measure how long it takes for the ball to land. This measurement is taken at the point of contact until it hits the ground. In some instances if the ball is hit far enough to land in the bleachers, this would be an estimate but still accurate enough for you to raise your goals. Write the number on the paper.
Step 5
Convert and calculate your answers to give you the distance the ball was hit. To convert the speed from miles per hour to meters per second, multiply the speed by 1,609 meters, then divide the answer by 3,600 seconds. Then plug all the information into the equation D=ST.
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