Sport science: softballs, baseballs, and curve balls

Summary

Brains On! Science Podcast for Kids

Episode: Sport Science – Softballs, Baseballs, and Curve Balls

Date: April 7, 2026
Host: Molly Bloom
Kid Co-host: Kian (Toronto, Canada)
Special Guests/Voices: Mark, Sandon, various listener contributors

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of Brains On! dives into the science behind baseball and softball, exploring how balls curve, what's inside them, and the physics that makes these sports possible. Listeners, especially kids, are treated to fun history, clear explanations of tricky concepts like the Magnus effect, and plenty of silly moments. The show is peppered with science chants, mystery sounds, and interactive segments designed to spark curiosity and help young minds think like scientists at the ballpark.

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Key Discussion Points

A. The Science of Baseball & Softball

• (01:59 – 02:15):

  • Baseball and softball are not just sports—they’re full of science! Every pitch, swing, and cheer involves physics, engineering, and even psychology.
  • “There’s physics in every pitch.” (Molly, 02:04)
  • “There’s even psychology in the chants we use to psych out our opponents…” (Molly, 02:15)

• Baseball positions, favorite teams, and the feeling of making plays on the field
  (03:33 – 05:18):

  • Kian plays first base for his summer league, enjoys both fielding and hitting.
  • “It just feels like a good feeling… Also because it’s first base, not third.” (Kian, 04:08)
  • Stretching to catch a ball can “almost feel like doing the splits sometimes.” (Molly, 05:01; Kian, 05:05)

B. History & Physics of the Curveball

• Origin Story:
  (07:04 – 09:54)

  • Listener question: "Why do baseballs curve when pitchers throw it?" (Abel, 07:04)
  • Story of William “Candy” Cummings, who invented the curveball after tossing clamshells, noticing their curved path, and trying the same with baseballs.
  • “Wouldn’t it be a good joke on the boys if I could get the baseball to curve like that?” (William, in storytelling, 08:38)
  • After years of practice, Candy Cummings brought the curveball to pro baseball.

• Physics Explained:
  (16:35 – 19:30)

  • The curve comes from the way the ball is spun as it's thrown, not from hidden pilots, magnets, or fans.
  • When a pitcher puts spin on the ball, air molecules pile up on one side, creating pressure differences and causing the ball to bend in the air.
  • “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” (Molly, 18:46)
  • The Magnus effect: spinning shoots air molecules off one side of the ball, pushing it in the opposite direction.
  • “That creates more pressure up top and less pressure below. That extra pressure on top pushes down on the ball…” (Molly, 18:00)

C. Inside Baseballs and Softballs

• Listener Question:
  (23:36 – 26:10)

  • "What are baseballs made of?" (Titus, 23:36)
  • Interactive segment with a “talking ball,” the X-ray “scanometer,” and visualizing all the layers.

• Breakdown of a Baseball:

  • Center: cork (from cork trees), wrapped in rubber.
  • Next layer: tightly wound yarn.
  • Outer layer: white leather with exactly 108 red stitches.
  • “And get this. There are exactly 108 stitches on a regulation baseball.” (Molly, 25:12)
  • In the old days, the core might be made of melted shoe rubber (“shoeball”).
  • Official rules now standardize construction for fairness.

• Softballs:

  • Made from a solid material, often a mix of rubber, cork, or polyurethane.
  • “They’re not actually soft… no special inner core.” (Molly, 25:58)

D. Science Chants, Listener Fun & Mystery Sounds

• Science Chants for Sports:
  (02:24, 15:43, 22:02)

  • Listeners sent in original chants rooting for science with lots of energy and wordplay.
    • “Science, go, Science, go. You make our brains grow!” (Waverly, 02:24)
    • “Science, science, S-C-I-E-N-C-E, Science, yeah… Cosine sin, Science is a fast, fast dance.” (Listener chant, 15:43)
    • “Science, science, you’re the best. Science, science never rests.” (Various listeners, 22:15)

• Mystery Sound:
  (10:08, 27:50, 28:39)

  • Mystery sound guessing game keeps listeners engaged.
  • Correct answer revealed: “cutting black walnut wood with a handsaw.” (Gabby from Boston, 28:39)
  • Kian guesses correctly: “Sawing wood.” (27:50, 28:15, 28:55)

• Mailbag Trend Update:
  (20:26 – 21:35)

  • Listener Ella reports on a ski helmet candy trend in Vermont: kids stick gummy candy to their helmets for snacking.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"It’s almost like science is the real MVP."
— Molly (02:21)

“There’s physics in every pitch…there’s high speed calculations behind every swing.”
— Molly (02:04, 02:08)

“Wouldn't it be a good joke on the boys if I could get the baseball to curve like that?”
— Storytelling (Candy Cummings), (08:38)

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
— Molly (18:46) (referring to Newton’s Third Law and the Magnus effect)

“At your center, there's cork and rubber. Then that's wrapped in yarn, and it's all covered with leather and stitches.”
— Kian, recapping what’s inside a baseball (26:17)

“Shoeball. Wild.”
— Kian, on old baseball construction (25:38)

“A talking ball! Okay, forget normal. Weird is more fun anyway.”
— Kian (23:08)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | Description | |---------|-----------|-------------| | Show intro & science of baseball/softball | 01:59 – 02:21 | Why these sports are so scientific | | Co-host Kian’s baseball background | 03:33 – 05:18 | Real kid’s perspective on playing | | Curveball listener question | 07:04 | Why do balls curve? | | Curveball origin story | 07:44 – 09:54 | Inventor Candy Cummings | | Physics behind curveball (Magnus effect) | 16:35 – 19:30 | How the spin makes the ball curve | | What are baseballs made of? | 23:36 – 26:10 | Ball dissection, history, comparison to softballs | | Science chants | 15:43, 22:02 | Listener-created chants for science and sports | | Mystery sound activity | 10:08, 28:39 | Guessing and answer reveal | | Listener mailbag | 20:26 – 21:35 | Candy helmet trend update |

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Flow & Tone

• Accessible: Science concepts (like the Magnus effect) are explained with analogies kids can grasp (spinning tires in mud, clamshells on the beach).
• Playful and Energetic: Dialogue is full of jokes, playful banter, and imaginative moments (e.g., talking baseball, fictional snacks like “fried photons”).
• Interactive: Mystery sound, audience chants, and listener trend reports make the episode feel participatory and kid-powered.
• Encouraging Curiosity: Repeated invitations for listeners to send in questions, sounds, and ideas.

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Conclusion: Recap & Final Takeaways

• Science is deeply woven through every aspect of baseball and softball, from the way balls curve, to the materials they’re made of, to the strategies and chants used in the game.
• The curveball’s spin creates pressure differences and the Magnus effect, bending its path through the air.
• Baseballs are intricate objects: cork, rubber, yarn, and leather—each layer with purpose.
• Softballs differ in design—solid throughout, not really “soft.”
• The community of curious kids fuels the podcast, and their creativity shines in chants and mystery activities.

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How to Participate & Keep Exploring

• Submit your science questions, sounds, drawings, and suggested new “Brains On headquarters” rooms at brainson.org/contact.
• Listen in for more episodes and join the SmartyPass club for book chats, ad-free episodes, and more.

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“We love combining sports and science… we can all root for science!”
— Molly, Kian, Mark, and the Brains On! Team

Transcript

[A]

Today's episode is sponsored by Great Wolf Lodge. At Great Wolf Lodge, there's adventure for the whole family. You and your pack can splash away in the indoor water park where it's always 84 degrees. There's a massive wave pool, a lazy river and tons of water slides for your pack to enjoy together. And the fun doesn't stop there. Get ready to explore and play at Adventure packed attractions, from Magiquest, a live action game that takes place throughout the lodge, to the Northern Lights Arcade. There's also a bunch of great dining options and complimentary daily events like nightly dance parties all under one roof. And the best part, with 22 lodges across the country, you're always only a short drive away from adventure. So bring your pack together at a lodge near you. Book your stay [e-mail] and strengthen the pack. Hi, friends. You may have heard that Mark and Sandon and I are on the road with Brains On Live. We've had so much fun, seen so many of you in person, and we are so looking forward to our upcoming stops. Our next two stops are in Chattanooga and Durham, North Carolina. That's April 11th and 12th. And then we have some exciting news. San Francisco and Toronto were sold out, so we added second shows in those cities. So San Francisco and Toronto tickets are available again. We're also going to be going to Portland, Lawrence, Kansas, Buffalo, New York, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Columbus, Ohio, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We cannot wait to see all of you. If you'd like tickets or more, head to brainson.org events. That's brainson.org events. We can't wait to see you.

[B]

Brains on Universe.

[C]

You're listening to Brains on. Where we're serious about being curious.

[A]

Baseball and softball are both amazing sports, especially if you love science.

[C]

Yeah. There's physics in every pitch.

[A]

There's high speed calculations behind every swing of the bat.

[C]

Every ball was carefully designed and engineered.

[A]

There's even psychology in the chants we use to psych out our opponents or hype up the home team.

[C]

It's almost like science is the real mvp.

[B]

Science, go, Science, go. You make our brains grow. Science, go, Science, go. You make our brains grow.

[A]

That was Waverly with a very rousing chant for science. You'll hear more chants as we get curious about these sports, from curveballs to

[C]

what's inside the balls themselves. Is it peanuts and Cracker Jacks?

[A]

You're gonna find out. Stay tuned. Did you hear about the Brains On Book club? We pick a book, we all read it, and then we have a group chat. Plus we invite the author to join us. We're starting with a story of a dog and cheetah who become best buds. It's called the Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by best selling author Jasmine Warga. And if you to join us, sign up for Smarty Pass. You'll get to be in the book club, you get discounts on shirts and hats, invites to online hangs with our team and more. Go to smartypass.org to sign up and if you're already a member, read the unlikely tale of Chase and Finnegan and send us your questions for the author. Thanks.

[B]

Brain Zone.

[A]

You are listening to Brains on part of the brainzone universe. I'm Molly Bloom and my co host today is Kian from Toronto, Canada. Hi Kian.

[C]

Hi Molly.

[A]

Today's episode is about baseball. Are you a fan of baseball?

[C]

Of course.

[A]

Who's the team you cheer for?

[C]

Toronto Blue Jays.

[A]

Woo. Go Blue Jays. Do you play baseball?

[C]

Yes. I can't wait for my summer league to start.

[A]

Awesome. What position do you play?

[C]

First baseman.

[A]

Oh, that's important. You gotta see a lot of action there. What's your favorite part of playing first base?

[C]

Getting to like, let's say someone hits the ball and you catch the ball when they get out, it just feels like a good feeling. Also because it's first base, not third.

[A]

Mmm, yes.

[C]

It's the first time they come on so you don't feel like they're ready for anything.

[A]

And do you like hitting too?

[C]

Yes, of course.

[A]

If you were a professional player and you had your own walk up music, what song would you choose to walk up to?

[C]

Paso de Fugo by Flame Runner.

[A]

Does that song get you hyped up?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So when you're at first base and someone is throwing you the ball and maybe they don't throw it exactly to you. Is it. How do you feel about like stretching out to catch it?

[C]

Sometimes it hurts because like you're stretching your arm out all the way, you might not be ready for it. You see the ball coming in. Oh no. Stretch.

[A]

Yeah. You like almost have to do the splits sometimes.

[C]

Yes, but it's always rewarding if you catch it and your foot's on the base and it's like, yes, I got him out.

[A]

Well, for today's episode, we thought it would be best to actually go to a game.

[D]

Hey team, you ready to roll? We don't want to miss the first pitch.

[A]

And there's our ride.

[C]

Cool. We get to take your tricked out minivan, the Explorer. Is it going to transform into a rocket Or a deep sea submarine?

[A]

No, just because it's called extremely practical Land and Ocean Rover Exploring remote realms doesn't mean we always use it to explore remote realms like space or the ocean. Most of the time, we just do normal rides. Hop in. Yep.

[D]

So normal. But, hey, there's traffic around the stadium, so we're taking a shortcut.

[C]

A shortcut?

[D]

Yeah, literally. We're going to cut through the surface of the earth and drill a tunnel to the game. Here we go.

[A]

Well, so much for normal.

[D]

Watch out, gophers and earthworms. We're coming through.

[A]

I love being at the ballpark.

[C]

Yeah, these are great seats, Mark. Oh, thanks.

[D]

I have season tickets for the Eden Prairie Protons. And I wouldn't dare miss them going up against their arch rivals, the hipping Higgs Bosons. Up and at EM Protons. You got this.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Strike.

[D]

That pitcher throws a mean curveball.

[A]

Speaking of curveballs, time to answer some

[C]

questions, starting with this one. Hi, I'm Abel from Englewood, California, and my question is, why do baseballs curve when pitchers throw it?

[A]

A curve ball is a special way to throw a ball. It's when a pitcher tosses the ball, and then the ball's path bends as it flies along.

[C]

It's super sneaky. Imagine you're at that.

[A]

You're ready to smack that ball out of the park. The pitcher throws it, and it looks like it's heading right for your bat. Come on, ball. Come on. But then it starts to curve and moves out of your range just as you swing. And so you totally miss it.

[C]

It's a popular pitch. You see it in both softball and baseball.

[A]

But how does it work?

[C]

There's no timely pilot in the ball suddenly steering it in a different direction.

[A]

And it's not magnets pulling it down or a giant fan blowing it.

[C]

The curve comes from how it's thrown.

[A]

And believe it or not, the story of how we got this pitch involves a kid and a clamshell. The year was 1863, in the days before cars, telephones, even radio.

[C]

On a beach in Brooklyn, New York, there was a group of kids playing around.

[A]

They were tossing clam shells, and they figured out they could pretty easily make the flat, round shells curve in the air. Whoa.

[B]

Did you see that? It swung to the side. That ain't nothing. Watch this one. Whoa.

[C]

Serious curve on that one.

[A]

One of the kids was named William Arthur Cummings.

[C]

And William had a great idea. Wouldn't it be a good joke on the boys if I could get the

[B]

baseball to curve like that?

[C]

Well, they Will plum near lose their

[B]

marbles over a fro like that.

[A]

So William went home, got a ball, and practiced.

[C]

He tested out different ways of throwing the ball to get that curve.

[B]

Rats.

[C]

Needs more spin on it.

[B]

Hmm.

[C]

Let's try a different angle.

[A]

He worked on it for years, and by the time he was in his late teens, he was pitching for professional baseball teams.

[C]

Okay, William, let's see if you can make this one. Do that. Good old curve

[D]

Steve. Yes.

[C]

He got so good that his teammates nicknamed him Candy, which was a popular

[A]

nickname at the time for someone who was super good at something. Hey, Candy, nice throw out there. How'd you get the ball to move like that?

[D]

Real wild stuff.

[C]

Oh, thanks. Just a little something I've been working on.

[A]

It didn't take long for other players to figure out how to do a

[C]

curveball, but Candy went down in history as the player to pioneer the throw.

[A]

He was even inducted into the Baseball hall of Fame.

[C]

So how does the curveball work?

[A]

We'll answer that mystery in a minute. But first, another mystery. It's the

[D]

mystery.

[A]

Ready for the mystery sound, Kion?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

All right, here it is. What do you think?

[C]

Maybe shoveling? Like trying to take shoveling ice off your driveway? Like scraping it off the ground with a shovel?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I like that. Guess what? Should we hear it again? Okay. What do you have any new thoughts?

[C]

Sawing something in half?

[A]

Yes. I love that.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Because I. I heard, like, a motor in the background. Like, there's, like, a car, motorcycle in the distance, which I don't think is the sound, but does make me think that it's outside or something. And I feel like I heard metal at the end, so. Like, someone's using metal. Yeah, I saw. I love that idea. Okay, I'm going with Saw 2. Well, we will hear it again. Get another chance to guess and hear the answer at the end of the

[C]

show, so keep listening.

[A]

This show is powered by your questions.

[C]

Yeah. Every topic we tackle is suggested by a curious kid. So send us your ideas.

[A]

Just go to brainson.org contact. We also love getting mystery sounds, jokes, drawings, or whatever else you want to send. Just go to brainzon.org contact to get in touch.

[C]

Oh, and if you have an idea for a new room at the ever expanding Brainzon headquarters, we'd love to hear that too.

[A]

Yeah, we might feature it in our

[C]

mailbag, so get in touch and stay curious.

[A]

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[C]

Hey, it's me, Molly, me Keon, and me Mark. And we're at the ballpark having a totally normal day. Photons. Get your fried photons here. Fried photons. I spoke too soon.

[D]

Yeah, all the snacks at the Protons games are based on particle physics. They've got fried photons, quantum cookies, edible electrons, quark dogs.

[A]

I love a fresh cork dog.

[D]

Hey there broski. Over here. I'll take a bag of those fried photons.

[A]

Coming at you catch.

[C]

Ya catch. Thanks.

[D]

Keep the change.

[C]

Well, it may not be the normal game day snacks, but I love combining sports and science.

[A]

Me too. In fact, that's why we asked our listeners to make up Sporty Chance for Science, because we can all root for science. Check it out.

[B]

Science, science S C I E, N C, E Science, yeah. Oh, Science, science Let's go Science, science Let it show Science, science is the best let's put ideas to the test Science, science number one this is the part that I think is a pun Think, think, think Put my ideas to the test Make a hypothesis which is not a guess Cosine sin Science is a fast, fast dance.

[A]

Shout out to science and shout out to ever Elliot, Kai and Lennon for sending us those chants.

[C]

We'll hear more later on, but first let's find out more about that tricky throw, the curveball.

[A]

Right. We learned that the curveball was pioneered by Candy Cummings after he saw how clamshells curved when thrown.

[C]

It turns out balls can curve too,

[A]

and both shells and balls curve for the same reason. Air. It works like this. When you throw a ball, it looks like it's flying through empty space, but it's not. It's flying through lots and lots of invisible air molecules. These are tiny pieces of gas, the stuff we breathe.

[C]

Just because we can't see those air molecules doesn't mean they aren't affecting how the ball moves. In fact, that air is the secret ingredient in making a ball curve.

[A]

To get a curve, you throw the ball and you put a little spin on it with your fingertips as you let go.

[C]

So the ball is both flying forward and spinning around.

[A]

Imagine it's spinning so that the top of the ball is spinning forward in the same direction as the throw, like

[C]

the direction a tire spins when it's driving forward.

[A]

As that top side of the ball spins, it will be pushing forward on the air molecules it meets, and those air molecules will pile up on that side.

[C]

Meanwhile, the bottom of the ball is spinning away from the direction of the throw, so it pulls the air molecules it meets backwards.

[A]

That makes it so that there are fewer air molecules hanging out on the bottom of the ball.

[C]

So picture that ball with a pile of air molecules gathered on top of

[A]

it and fewer air molecules on the bottom. That creates more pressure up top and less pressure below. That extra pressure on top pushes down on the ball and it starts to move downward.

[C]

A curve ball.

[A]

There's another cool thing helping this ball curve. As the ball spins, it shoots some of the air molecules at the back of the Ball upward again.

[C]

Think of a car tire. Picture a tire driving forward through the mud. It will shoot some flecks of mud upward onto the car as it spins.

[A]

For the spinning baseball, it's air molecules that are shot upward. And as they go up, they push down on the ball.

[C]

That's a fundamental law of physics.

[A]

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, the action of air molecules getting shot upward creates an opposite reaction of pushing the ball down.

[C]

This is called the Magnus effect. It also helps a curveball curve.

[A]

There are different ways to throw a curveball. You can make a curve down to the left or right. You can curve a softball or a baseball. It all depends on the way you spin it. But the physics is the same.

[C]

The spin creates a lot of pressure on one side of the ball and less pressure on the opposite side.

[A]

And the spin shoots air molecules off one side of the ball, which means those particles push on the ball as they launch away.

[C]

Both things create a force on the ball that makes it bend in the air.

[A]

No.

[D]

The Hibbing's Higgs boson scored another point. They're creaming with protons. Come on, protons. Come on.

[C]

Yikes. The protons are down by four runs.

[A]

Those Higgs bosons really know how to collide a bat with a ball.

[D]

This is terrible.

[B]

Boo Bosons.

[D]

Your talent is so tiny, it's subatomic.

[A]

Come on, Mark. Remember the protons team motto. Stay positive.

[D]

Okay, okay. You're right. You're right. They'll find a way to catch up.

[A]

That's more like it. And speaking of ketchup, anyone else ready for a cork dog?

[C]

Me.

[A]

Let's go hit the snack stand while Sandin checks the mailbag.

[E]

Hey, Sandon, here in the Brainzone mailroom. I love when people send us in stuff inspired by past episodes, like our episode on how trends start. Did you hear that one? Well, one family sent us a really cool follow up. Here. I'll read it after listening to your episode on how trends start. Ella thought you'd like to see pictures of a trend on the slopes in Vermont this winter. Kids are sticking gummy candy to their ski helmets and then snacking on the candies throughout the day. I know kids are doing it at a couple mountains in Vermont this winter. Not sure how widespread it is. Ella thinks it's definitely a trend. Mark and Sandin could get on board with. That's so cool. And they sent us a picture of Ella in a ski outfit in the snow with tons of little gummies stuck to the top. Of her helmet.

[B]

Yeah.

[E]

This is a trend that 100% Mark and I would be into gummies on the go. I mean, who wouldn't love that? That's a great idea. Ella, thanks so much for sending in this trend report. If you've spotted a cool new trend, let us know about it. Go to brainson.org contact to fill us in. All right, thanks. That's it for the mailbag.

[A]

Later. You can get Brains on smashboom best and forever ago without the ad breaks by joining Smarty Pass. Plus you get access to our book club and more. Just head to smartypass.org to become a member. Thanks.

[C]

S C I E N C E

[B]

Science is the one for me. Physics, chemistry, astronomy and engineering Science is the best subject you'll ever be hearing.

[C]

Science, science, you're the best. Science, science never rests.

[B]

Science, science, yes you can, you discovered Adam, man. Science, science, we love you. If we need you, you're the clue. I see, I see. What do you see? I see a virus looking at me. Hello, Bonjour. It's nice to meet ya. You're looking at the scientist that's gonna beat ya.

[A]

It's Molly with Mark and Kian. Such amazing chants from. You are wonderful listeners. Huge thanks to Philippa, Bronte, Eno, Lucia, Misha and Auden for sending those in. And we are back at the stadium talking baseball and softball and having a

[C]

mostly normal, sometimes not so normal day at the ballpark.

[B]

Watch out. I'm coming your way.

[D]

I got you, little ball. Aim for my glove.

[B]

Yes.

[D]

Gotcha.

[C]

A talking ball. Okay, forget normal. Weird is more fun. Anyway.

[B]

Oh. Thanks for catching me.

[D]

Are you kidding me? You're a home run hit by the Eden Prairie Protons. I'm honored just to have you in my glove. Plus, now the Protons are tied.

[B]

They could win this.

[D]

We could win this.

[B]

Hooray. I hope they can do it.

[A]

Great timing, talking baseball, because we were just about to answer this question.

[C]

Hi, my name is Titus and I'm from Alexandria, Louisiana. My question is, what are baseballs made of?

[A]

Think you could help us out?

[B]

Sure, but I don't really know what's inside me.

[A]

That's okay. I know all about the insides of baseballs.

[D]

Plus, I brought my X ray scanometer.

[B]

X ray what?

[D]

X ray scanometer. It's a special tool that lets me scan something with an X ray beam so I can see the insides. I usually use it at ball games to scan boxes of Cracker Jacks so I can see what prize they have. Okay. Hold still, ball. This Will only tickle a lot.

[B]

It does tickle a lot.

[C]

I can see everything inside of this ball. It's got a lot of different layers.

[D]

Cool. What's at the very center? You see that? The round core in the middle of the ball?

[A]

That's a material called cork. That cork is wrapped in rubber. And then all of that is tightly wrapped in a whole lot of yarn. And lastly, it's covered in white leather and sewn together with red stitches.

[D]

Whoa. So that stuff at the very core of the ball is cork. Like the stuff you use to plug a bottle of wine?

[A]

Precisely. It's a lightweight material that comes from a cork tree. And you see that layer of red stuff around the cork? That's the rubber.

[C]

Like what bouncy balls are made of.

[A]

Yeah, but you wouldn't want your whole baseball made of rubber. It would be too bouncy. Too many home runs. The game wouldn't be as fun. So the cork and rubber center is wrapped in something else. Yarn.

[D]

Oh, the yarn makes the ball a little less bouncy.

[A]

Exactly. And then you hold it all together with a white leather cover. And get this. There are exactly 108 stitches on a regulation baseball. The rules for an official major league baseball are very strict about how these balls are made. So every ball is equal.

[C]

That only seems fair.

[A]

In the old days, like over 100 years ago, the center of the ball was often made from the rubber of old melted shoes.

[C]

Shoeball wild.

[A]

And people made their own baseballs to use in the game. But that led to problems. Some balls would be super bouncy. These were called lively balls. Other balls would be hard to hit far. Those were called dead balls. But as baseball got more popular, teams eventually agreed to all use one standard ball.

[C]

What about softballs?

[A]

They're not actually soft. And they don't have a core like a baseball does. They're all made of one solid material. Sometimes it's a mix of rubber and cork Or a mix of a material called polyurethane.

[D]

Cool stuff. Now let's turn off this x ray scanometer.

[B]

Did you guys see my insight?

[C]

Yep. At your center, there's cork and rubber. Then that's wrapped in yarn, and it's all covered with leather and stitches.

[B]

Neat. I'm super cool inside.

[C]

Oh, look, someone's running past third.

[B]

Come on. Come on. You can do it.

[C]

They're almost at home plate.

[B]

Come on, slide. Come on. They did it.

[D]

The proton's got another run. They're gonna win the game. Woo hoo.

[A]

Yeah, buddy. Baseball and softball are sports. Full of science.

[C]

Like a curveball. That's a throw that uses spin to make the ball bend its path.

[A]

It was dreamed up by a kid who liked throwing clam shells.

[C]

He later brought the pitch to professional baseball.

[A]

Baseballs are made of a cork and rubber core that's wrapped in yarn and held together by leather and stitches.

[C]

Softballs are all one material with no special inner core.

[A]

That's it for this episode of brains On. This episode was produced by me, Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez, and Sandra Totten. It was sound designed by Mark Sanchez, who also wrote our theme music. We had voice acting by Andy Doucette, Vicki Lentour, Felix, Lulu, Carys, and Coco. Special thanks to Hannah Barker, Shadi, Katirai and Kian's family, Ava, Aiden, and Naysan. Also, Ken Taborski at code of the north for all of his website. Help. Help. Okay, Kion, are you ready for that mystery sound again?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Here it is. Last time we thought shoveling ice or a saw. Do you have any new thoughts?

[C]

No, I'm gonna stick with sawing wood.

[A]

Sawing wood. Okay. For some reason, to me, it sounded like an apple, so I'm gonna say someone's sawing an apple because maybe they're trying to make, like, a special squirrel feeder made from an apple. Your guess makes more sense. Should we see if we're close?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, here's the answer.

[B]

Hi, my name's Gabby, and I'm from Boston. The sound you just heard was me cutting black walnut wood with a handsaw.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. Kian. That was 100% correct.

[C]

Yay.

[A]

That's so impressive. Have you. Do you, like, make stuff with whatever.

[C]

Um, no, no, no.

[A]

But you just put the hints together and you were like, this is it. It's someone sawing wood.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

Nice work. Great ears. Now it's time for the brains honor roll. These are the incredible kids who keep the show going with their questions, ideas, mystery sounds, drawings, and high fives. Ashwin from diamondbar, california. Miles and finnegan from portland, oregon. Charlie and ellie from seattle. Chloe from bennington, new hampshire. Walker from lake oswego, oregon. Julia and tessa from st. Helena island, s.c. idara from arkansas. Elizabeth from bayside, wisconsin. Arlo from chattanooga, tennessee. Josh from corona, california. Maria from casson, minnesota. William from austin, texas. Elena and miri from bardstown, kentucky. Ava from menlo park, california. Micah and levi from morton, illinois. Reagan from haver, montana. Alec from redmond, washington. Lenny and geffen from long island city, new york, york. Bowie and wren from seattle. Violet from cochrane, alberta. Link from pasadena, california edison from kuala lumpur finley and luca from waitsfield, vermont evelyn from sturgeon county, alberta violet from st. Cloud, minnesota sierra from alameda, california jocelyn from meford, ontario marin from calgary, alberta stella from martha's vineyard, massachusetts thea and ray from long lake, minnesota nora from st. Louis mk from india marie from changzhou, china addie and teddy from canada kalispell, montana luca, luna and levy from claremont, california shane and avery from belmont, california cami and avery from paoli, pennsylvania riso from da nang, vietnam amani from phoenix kenneth jedediah from irving, texas o from calgary, alberta casey from dundas, ontario sebastian from stratford upon avon, united kingdom lynn from singapore alston from kuala lumpur eliana from dallas, texas leo from odense, denmark kai from draper, utah everly from langley township, british columbia kala from tennessee island from toronto may from beverly, massachusetts riley and theo from olin, new york ramona from morro bay, california maisie from lewis center, ohio amelia from gilbert, arizona esther from arkansas clark from seattle, aurora and lena from calgary, alberta ada from deland, florida logan from hawthorne, california nitsan and hadass from waterville, maine felix from victoria, british columbia and ugur and defne from london, england. We'll be back next week with more baseball science.

[C]

Thanks for listening.