After reading Robert Adair's classic book The Physics of Baseball over 25 years ago, Professor Alan Nathan thought he knew everything there was to know about the subject.  Since then he has learned much, much more, due in large part to some superb tools that are now available, allowing detailed studies that were not available to Adair at the time he wrote his book.  The advances have come in two broad areas: The aerodynamics of a baseball in flight and the physics of the ball-bat collision.  Not only have these advances furthered our understanding of the physics, but they have also had a practical application to the game itself. There should be something for everyone in this talk, whether your main interest is physics, baseball, or somewhere in between.  Some questions we will cover:

How does a baseball bat work?
Do all wood bats perform identically?
Why is aluminum better?
How do atmospheric conditions affect the flight of the baseball?
Why do fly balls carry better to centerfield?
What's the deal with the humidor?
Why the recent surge in home runs?

Alan Nathan is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Illinois.  After a long career doing experimental nuclear and particle physics, he now devotes his efforts to the physics of baseball. He has written many articles, both for academic journals and on-line baseball publications; he has given numerous lectures to a variety of audiences; and he maintains an oft-visited web site, baseball.physics.illinois.edu, that many people have found to be a useful resource. He is interviewed regularly by the media and has consulted for various organizations, including MLB, NCAA, USA Baseball, and several MLB clubs, as well as various technology companies.

Registration is required to attend. You will receive the link to attend via Zoom after registration.
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This program is made possible by the generous donors to the Cary Library Foundation.