force vectors and deceleration

Hi Skimantua,

Draw a free body diagram. When the baseball is caught, the only force acting on it is the force applied to the baseball by the catcher. The force (opposing the direction of motion of the baseball) is, as the question states, 803N.

From Newton's Second Law, a = Fnet/m, we know that the mass could be found by dividing the net force by the acceleration. m = Fnet/a. Acceleration, in this case, is negative, or in the opposite direction to the direction of motion, and could be found using the formula:

(Vfinal)^2 = (Vinitial)^2 + 2ad

where a is the acceleration, Vfinal = 0, and Vinitial = ?m/s (metres per second, convert from 92mph) and d is the displacement (from the initial contact point to the point where it completely stops) which is given in the question, 0.15m. plug everything in, and solve for the acceleration.

So, now that you have the acceleration, and know the magnitude of the force exerted by the catcher, you can easily find the mass of the baseball.

This is just my two cents, I hope I'm not wrong here, if I am, please correct me and let me know, I'm not a physics major or anything, but I'd like to know. And, I'm sure other people here can help you too! Hope that helps