Life in a Northern Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. B.M.A.T.C., and Etruscan typewriter erasers. Blogged by David Gorsline.
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What explains the 100 mph speed limit for a pitched baseball?
Glenn Fleisig, a biomechanical engineer who studies pitching at the American
Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Ala., has calculated that about 80
newton-meters of torque act on an elite pitcher's elbow when he throws a
fastball. The ulnar collateral ligament connects the humerus and
ulna—two of the bones that come together in the elbow. To test the
outer limits of the ligament's strength, Fleisig subjected cadaver elbows to
increasing amounts of rotational force. These experiments showed that an
average person's UCL snaps at about 80 N-m. Smoky Joe Wood said that he
threw so fast he thought his arm was going to fly off. It turns out he
wasn't far from the truth.
(Thanks to kottke.org.) posted: 1:40:13 PM |
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Rob Reed of Northumbria University finds scientific evidence to confirm folk wisdom that brass water vessels offer some protection against sickness. This is timely information, as many people in the Third World are switching from traditional brass to plastic, which is much cheaper, and is seen as more modern. posted: 9:39:35 AM |
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The first wild-hatched California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) chick (first since the population was taken into captivity) has died. (Thanks to Birdchat.) posted: 9:39:34 AM |
 D. Gorsline, Proprietor
   
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