The Contentious Physics of Wiffle Ball

(via The Atlantic) Wiffle ball is a variant of baseball played with a plastic perforated ball. Eight three-quarter-inch, oblong holes cover half the ball’s surface area, while the other hemisphere is uninterrupted. The ball achieves a curving trajectory without requiring the pitcher to impart spin or hurl at top speed. To this day, the makers insist, “we don’t know exactly why it works—it just does!” That folksy answer is charming, but a scientific one can foster even greater admiration for this curious ball and the sport that makes use of it.