Harold the Hurler is a physics student who is renowned for his baseball pitching

Question

Harold the Hurler is a physics student who is renowned for his baseball pitching arm. In order to determine the amount of work he performs in throwing a baseball, Harold devises an experiment. He stands at the bottom of a deep pit and hurls a 147-g baseball through an open third-floor window in a nearby building. Harold's aim is so accurate that the ball then smoothly enters the tube of the Baseball Absorber that Harold invented and patented. In this device the ball compresses a spring until it comes momentarily to rest, and the maximum amount of compression is recorded as 47.1 cm. The spring's force constant is 809 N/m, and the position of the baseball's momentary rest is 7.11 m above ground level. The point in the pit where the Hurler starts his pitch is 14.7 below ground level. How much does Harold perfom on the baseball? Take g = 9.80 m/s^2.

Explanation / Answer

Work done = spring energy gained + GPE gained

                  = 1/2 .k . x^2 + m . g . ?h

                  = 0.5*809*(0.471)^2 + 0.147*9.8*21.81 = 121.15 J

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