Super-fly ball.

Move over Wiffle, there's a new practice ball on the mound. While the traditional Wiffle ball tends to shift direction in mid-flight, the new "Quickball" flies straight. "It behaves more like a regular baseball," says Chris Mackie, inventor of the ball.

The plastic Quickball, with its two dozen evenly spaced holes, is similar to a Wiffle ball. But while the Wiffle's eight oblong holes cover only half its surface, the Quickball's holes are spaced over the entire ball.

The pattern of holes alters a ball's aerodynamics--how it moves through the air. A Wiffle's lopsided holes change the air pressure (force due to the movement of air) on that side of the ball. The ball naturally curves toward the holes. "A Wiffle ball is easy to curve without having to acid spin--just let it roll off your fingers," says Rabi Mehta, an expert on ball aerodynamics.

You can add spin to curve a Quickball, but the ball's balanced airflow means it won't curve accidentally. No more waffling Wiffles!

Resources:

For more information related to this issue's new stories, check out the following Web sites:

For a range of activities related to baseball physics, check out this interactive Web site: www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/

For the rules of Wiffle ball, and diagrams on how to throw for maximum curve, visit: www.wiffle.com/