We measured trajectories and rotational parameters of hard baseballs that are thrown by real baseball pitchers, which were photographed in three dimensions through two high-speed video cameras. Analyzing the obtained pictures yields values for the lift and drag forces exerted on the balls. In particular, we have accomplished accurate measurement of the drag force by combining the high-speed cameras of excellent time-resolution with a special lighting system. Comparison of the results is also reported with numerical simulations of flows around baseballs calculated on super-computers.
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