Kinetic energy of a baseball

Definition

Kinetic energy ( $K E$ ) is defined by the formula:

K E = \frac{1}{2} m v^{2}

where $m$ is the mass of the object in $kg$ , and $v$ denotes its velocity in $m/s$ .

Kinetic energy of a thrown baseball

Assumptions

Velocity $v$ : For this estimation, we consider the fastest recorded pitch ever in MBL history, which is 105.8 mph. This convers to approximately 170.3 km/h = 47.3 m/s.

Mass $m$ : The mass of a standard MBL baseball ranges from 142 to 149 g. For this calculation, we assume 145 g = 0.145 kg.

Calculation

\begin{array}{rclrc} K E & = & \frac{1}{2} \times 0.145 kg \times (47.3 m/s)^{2} & \approx & 162 J \end{array}

References

Fastest baseball pitch ever thrown in MLB history: Here's who holds the record
99baseballs
Energy Education