This Ball is Impossible to Hit

Summary by Krater

The creator visits the Major League Wiffle Ball league to play against professional wiffle ball players, discovering that the wiffle balls curve due to asymmetric air flow around their holes, which can be altered by modifying the ball's surface.

From the video

Answers: Why do wiffle balls curve and how can you engineer one to pitch better?

• Wiffle ball pitching and batting
• Magnus effect and aerodynamic lift
• Coanda effect in fluid dynamics
• Pitching machine engineering

What it concludes

• Wiffle balls curve because air rushing past the holes creates asymmetric turbulence and a pressure differential that forces the ball toward the smooth side.
• Modifying a wiffle ball by scuffing the surface makes it smoother, altering the air flow and trajectory unpredictably.
• Preloading a brass cylinder spring inside a 3D printed wiffle ball with a kitchen timer delay alters its trajectory mid-air.
• Pitching machines like the Demogorgon can launch wiffle balls at high speeds just under the league speed limit.