Question

Suppose a fast-pitch softball player does a windmill pitch, moving her hand through a circular arc with her arm straight. She releases the ball at a speed of 25.5 m/s (about 57.0 mph ). Just before the ball leaves her hand, the ball's radial acceleration is 1060 m/s2 . What is the length of her arm from the pivot point at her shoulder

Answer 1

Answer:

61.3 cm

Explanation:

Radial acceleration of the object in circular motion is given by formula

$a = \frac{v^2}{R}$

Given:

$a = 1060 m/s^2\\v = 25.5 m/s$

 

Plugging in the values in the formula

$1060 = \frac{25.5^2}{R}\\R = 0.613 m$

so length of his arm is 61.3 cm