Extreme Spin on Launched Ball

• C+25+75

Two long wooden bat with a right angle trough in them are provided, one lined with sand paper and one not. If launched with sufficient speed a ball can be made to curve strongly to the right, left, or upward. The trough with sand paper is far more effective at putting a curve on the ball due to frictional effects between the ball and the surface. This can be used to demonstrate that spinning is created by the launch is the cause of the curve rather than the dynamics of the ball itself. This demo takes significant practice before using so give yourself time before class to experiment. Thanks to UCLA for inspiration for this demo.