Question

Why is the air drag on a baseball different than it would be for a smooth ball with no stitches? How does this apply to the design of a golf ball?

Answer 1

Answer:

The stitches and dimples around a baseball  and a golf ball respectively, disturbs the air drag on the balls once they are in motion, allowing the them to travel more easily.

Explanation:

The stitches on a baseball disturbs the air drag on the ball when the ball is in motion, allowing the ball to travel more easily. Depending on the orientation of the ball in flight, the drag changes as the flow is disturbed by the stitches.  

A smooth ball with no stitches or dimples has more air drag that opposes the motion.

A golf ball is smooth ball with dimples to create a thin turbulent boundary layer of air that clings to the ball's surface. This allows the smoothly flowing air to follow the ball's surface a little farther around the back side of the ball, thereby decreasing the size of the wake, and allowing the ball to travel more easily.