This is the Scientific Americans 60 Second Science. I'm Larry Greenmeyer. Got a minute?

Hall of Famer Ted Williams once famously commented that hang a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports.

Although Williams, a 344 career hitter, made it look easy,

he had a point.

Hitting a round ball with a round bat squarely is difficult.

It's also an excellent example of some very

entertaining applied physics. No surprise then that professional baseball players are

turning to science to improve their multimillion-dollar strokes. Some approaches focus on the neuroscience of hitting,

the deep internal brain mechanisms behind seeing the pitch and reacting to it.

But for more info about the swing itself, a sports tech company called Zepp Labs makes a

sensor that can help break down those mechanics. The sensor sits in the

knob of the company's so-called smart bat and uses two accelerometers and a three axis gyroscope to measure bat speed, hand speed, attack angle, and other factors.

The sensor, which weighs only about 8 grams, sends this info to a smartphone app via Bluetooth. The app can then use

this data to have an on-screen avatar reenact the swing in the hope that the

batter can pick up some details and make the necessary adjustments. Zpp sensors can also be fitted to golf clubs and tennis rackets.

Never one to mince words.

Ted Williams also once said that pitchers were quote-unquote the stupidest people

alive.

Hmm.

Maybe somebody can come up with a smart baseball to help them.

Against any Ted Williams is out there anyway.

Thanks for the minute.

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