Rounding the Bases Faster, With Math 212
An anonymous reader writes "The fastest route around the bases, mathematicians show, is one that perhaps no major-league ball player has ever run: It swings out a full 18.5 feet from the baseline, nearly forming a full circle. 'I would definitely experiment with it,' says former American Major League Baseball outfielder Doug Glanville, who last played with the Philadelphia Phillies. 'There's no question in my mind that runners could be more efficient.'"
1st page of the proof: (Score:5, Funny)
1st page of the proof:
Consider a spherical runner in a frictionless vacuum.
Re:only if you know you're in-route to a home-run. (Score:5, Funny)
Huh? You're trying to get to who?
I'm sorry guys but... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Maybe for a home run... (Score:3, Funny)
On the other hand, if it works, maybe high school jocks with start to find it counterproductive to bully the math geeks.
Re:only if you know you're in-route to a home-run. (Score:5, Funny)
naturally!
Guess I'm confused (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Baseball is still a shitty sport. (Score:3, Funny)
All I'm hearing out of you is "watching tall lanky guys", "bouncing balls", "putting it in a guy's hole", "playing with a guy's stick", and "left hand tugging a guy". It makes me think that you might be a user of Apple products.
Re:1st page of the proof: (Score:5, Funny)
Baseball players are approaching that these days.
Re:Maybe for a home run... (Score:1, Funny)
They didn't account for all the variables. Kicking each basemen in the nuts buys you more time. Also swinging slightly wide and hitting the Catcher in the face mask can buy you the seconds need for an in field home run while they revive him. If that fails just aiming your cleats for his knee cap can have the same affect. Variables are critical to any equation. I mean what if your base hit beans the pitcher on the head and his lifeless body falls on the ball? That can easily turn a base hit into a home run if the pitcher is over 250 lbs.
Re:Maybe for a home run... (Score:2, Funny)
when they know they've hit doubles
Right. The players will hit the ball, then watch carefully and verify its path, do some quick back-of-the-envelope calculus to verify the fielders' maximum speeds, apply their doctorate-level psychology knowledge to anticipate the fielders' actions, then once they know it's a double, they'll start running a longer path that's faster if their bodies work according to various assumptions.
Or, they'll just run, and figure out what's best as they go.
It's baseball. It's not rocket science.
Re:Maybe for a home run... (Score:5, Funny)
Well, if the math geeks can find a significant increase in efficiency, and they don't tell the jocks, then guess who gets the ladies?
(The jocks. But it was worth a try.)
Re:only if you know you're in-route to a home-run. (Score:5, Funny)
No, Who is on first, What is on second. I Don't Know is on third. FFS what do they TEACH you kids these days?
Now get off my lawn!
Re:Hitting the brakes slows you down. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I'm sorry guys but... (Score:2, Funny)