Johnny Fajardo

Statement of Problem

In hitting for distance, which bat allows a farther hit, a wood one or a corked one.

Hypothesis

The corked bat will allow the ball to travel a greater distance because there is less weight in the bat. A lighter bat gives a person more bat speed which allows the ball to go farther.

Independent Variable

The types of bats we used wood and corked.

Dependent Variable

The distance the ball will travel after being hit, measured in feet starting from home plate to

the distance of the hit ball.

Constant The bat is a standard official 33 inch wood bat

same width, same length. The batter will be the same for both bats, the ball will be the same standard official major league baseball, the pitch will come from a pitching machine set at a constant speed of 60mph.

Control Group The bat that is not corked, in comparison to

the altered bat. The reason for the comparison is to validate the results.

Materials• 2 wood bats• Cork• Balls • Goggles• Pitching machine• Tape measure• Drill• Baseball field

Procedures1. Get 2 wood bats same length and width2. Drill a hole in the tip of one of the wood bats

and hollow out 2.5 cm wide and 13 cm deep

3. Place cork inside the hollowed out tip of the bat

4. Drive to a baseball field 5. Set up pitching machine 6. Get 10 baseballs all official size 7. Place 5 balls in the pitching machine set at a

constant speed of 60mph. 8. Start the machine to pitch the ball 9. Mark and Measure the field where the ball

landed and repeat 4 more times.10.Switch to corked bat and repeat steps 7 - 911.Record distances

Bat TrialsTrial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Average

Wood Bat Center Field 307

Right Field 269

Left Field 276

Right Field 285

Center Field 301

287.6 feet

Corked Bat

Right Field 332

Right Field 289

Right Field 290

Right Field 314

RightCenter317

308.4 feet

Qualitative Observation

Qualitative Observation – After hitting the balls we will be able to see how the balls are placed in the grass.

Quantitative Data

WOOD BAT CORKED BAT

X

X

X

X

XX

X

X

X

X

Conclusion• My hypothesis was correct. It was the corked

bat that led the ball to a greater distance. The reason why the use of the corked bat took the ball farther is because it weighs less making your swing faster.