Braingle: 'Balance the Bat' Brain Teaser

Balance the Bat

Science brain teasers require understanding of the physical or biological world and the laws that govern it.

Puzzle ID:	#23731
Fun:	(2.78)
Difficulty:	(1.3)
Category:	Science
Submitted By:	markmonnin

Is balancing a baseball bat vertically on your hand easier with the larger end at the top or with the smaller end at the top?

Hint

Think about torque.
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Comments

silly_goose Jun 16, 2005	I guessed right but it was for the wrong reasons Good teaser!
onlyeeyore Jun 16, 2005	Cool, I've done the bat-balance thing and got the answer right but didn't know why! Thanks for the explanation!
drussel3 Jun 17, 2005	Another explaination is the center of gravity is lower, thus making it easier to balance. That is the same concept with a tight rope walker, and the long heavy bars.
PCDguitar Jun 17, 2005	drussel u really are an engineer lol... i really liked the riddle i got it because i play baseball and when im bored its fun to balace a bat on ur hand
alissa3210 Jun 17, 2005	I got it right
curtiss82 Jun 18, 2005	Drussel3 you've got it wrong, the center of gravity is higher, that's why the moment of inertia is greater. Remember the big end is at the top, thus the center of gravity is near the top.
puppygirl1213 Jun 29, 2005	I guessed the right answer but i had no idea why this is a nice piece of trivia for me.
toupsy121 Jun 29, 2005	curtis ur right. now i have done this but i get the top as being easier. maybe its because i can keep the bat steady easily and in that case having a bottom heavy bat is easier.
drronnmd Aug 04, 2005	yeah , thats right
ElectronJohn Aug 18, 2005	Curtis is of course correct. Nice teaser and very nice explanation. I knew the answer based on real world experiance but could not have explaned it so well.
hidentreasure Oct 31, 2005	HA!! I knew it and I'm 12!
rkaaland Dec 10, 2005	I love the debates this catagory brings up!
dudebomb93 Oct 29, 2007	WOW I WAS THINKING THAT UNTIL THE STUPID HINT