A student is the pitcher on a baseball team. They pitch the ball toward home plate. It begins in a straight line and then curves toward the ground. What forces are acting on the ball?

Question

a
friction and gravity
b
magnetism and inertia
c
friction and electricity
d
inertia and nuclear

Answer 1

a
friction and gravity

When the baseball is pitched, it experiences several forces. The primary forces acting on the ball are as follows:

1. Gravity: This force pulls the ball toward the Earth, which causes the ball to curve downward as it travels toward the home plate.
2. Friction: As the ball moves through the air, air resistance (a form of friction) acts against its motion, which can affect the speed and trajectory of the ball.

Options b, c, and d include forces that are not relevant in this context. Magnetism, electricity, and nuclear forces are not influencing the path of a baseball in a typical pitch scenario. Inertia is a property of mass (it's the resistance to changes in motion), not a force acting upon the ball per se, and certainly not in the same category as the fundamental forces like gravity or alongside phenomena like friction in this context.