What Happens if You Try to Hit a Baseball Pitched at 90% the Speed of Light?

💥When a baseball reaches 90% the speed of light, it moves so fast that air molecules appear stationary, resulting in the fusion of atomic nuclei upon impact.

🔥The fusion reactions between the atomic nuclei in the air and the baseball release bursts of gamma rays and scattered subatomic particles.

💥The impact generates an expanding bubble of incandescent plasma and tears apart molecules in the air, turning the stadium into a plasma-filled bubble.

🌪The ball's ongoing thermonuclear explosion causes it to slow down slightly due to the fusion reactions at its front, but its immense speed remains largely unaffected.

💥As the ball reaches the batter, it disintegrates, creating a bullet-shaped cloud of expanding plasma that engulfs the baseball diamond and everything in its surroundings.

What happens to the air molecules when the baseball reaches 90% the speed of light?

—The air molecules appear stationary from the ball's perspective, and their atomic nuclei fuse with the atomic nuclei in the ball upon impact.

What causes the blinding flash and mushroom cloud?

—The fusion reactions and the intense release of energy from the collisions between the ball and air molecules create the blinding flash and mushroom cloud.

Could anything survive such a catastrophic event?

—No, the impact would cause widespread destruction, and the resulting blast wave and firestorm would engulf the surrounding area.

Would the batter be considered hit by a pitch in this situation?

—According to official Major League Baseball rules, the batter would technically be considered hit by a pitch and would be eligible to advance to first base.

Is this scenario scientifically plausible?

—No, this hypothetical scenario violates the laws of physics, as it assumes a baseball can magically accelerate to such extreme speeds.

00:00In a viewer question, Ellen asks what would happen if a baseball pitched at 90% the speed of light were hit.

00:11When the baseball reaches 90% the speed of light, the molecules in the air around it appear stationary, and fusion reactions occur upon impact.

00:27The impact generates a bubble of incandescent plasma that expands rapidly and tears apart molecules in the air.

01:08Due to ongoing thermonuclear fusion at the ball's front, it slows down slightly but remains incredibly fast.

01:23As the disintegrated ball reaches the batter, it becomes a bullet-shaped cloud of expanding plasma.