[ELI5] Why in baseball the optimal angle for a home run is a lot less than 45 degrees?

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Why in baseball the optimal angle for a home run is a lot less than 45 degrees?

In high school physics (okay, this is no longer 5 year old level) to throw something to the most distant, you throw it at 45 degrees.

But why in baseball the optimal angle for hitting a home run is a lot less than what is taught in physics?

I kind of understand it has to do with air resistance, but why does air resistance change the angle by that much?

In: Physics

11 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

The ball is being thrown at the bat. It is not stationary. The bat needs to counteract the balls momentum. 

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