Question

Now imagine that a 0.2 kg baseball is moving at 30 m/s toward the batter. The ball is struck with a bat producing a force of 2000 N, which causes it to move in the opposite direction at 50 m/s. For how long was the ball in contact with the bat?

Answer 1

Given that,

Mass of a baseball, m = 0.2 kg

Initial speed of a baseball, u = 30 m/s

Force produced by a bat, F = 2000 N

Final speed of a baseball, v = -50 (negative for opposite direction)

To find,

For how long was the ball in contact with the bat?

Solution,

Let for t seconds the ball is in contact with the bat. The net force acting on the  ball is given by :

$F=\dfrac{m(v-u)}{t}\\\\t=\dfrac{m(v-u)}{F}\\\\t=\dfrac{0.2\times ((-50)-30)}{2000}\\\\t=8\ ms$

So, the ball is contact with the bat for 8 ms.