January 2000
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| If she is correctly positioned, the derivative of (tangent theta) with respect to time is constant. Put another way, there are constants c and d such that tan(theta)=c*t+d where t=time. This is because the ball's height (above the fielder) is a quadratic function of time, with value 0 when t=0 (i.e. when it reaches the fielder), and its horizontal distance from the fielder is a linear functino of time, also achieving the value 0 when t=0. Dividing, we see that the slope is of the form c*t+d. |
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