Batter, Batter, . . . SWING!!

Osceola, IN – The Lady Panthers are ready to pounce!  Coach Greg Meyers verified today that he will be forming a new summer league softball team, the Lady Panthers, for girls 12 to 13 years old.  
	“We have been signing up players, and we still have two positions open – third base and centerfield.  So, if you know of anyone that might be interested in playing these positions or even other positions, please have them contact me,” said Meyers.  “We are also beginning to make decisions about our uniforms and the pieces of equipment that we need to purchase.”
	The Lady Panthers will wear uniforms of yellow and black after their team colors.  Harry’s Sport Shop on Main Street is designing the uniforms, and the uniforms will be available for purchase by next Friday.  Players will be responsible for purchasing their own uniforms, cleats, and mitts.  Harry’s will also have available other Lady Panthers items such as baseball hats, keychains, and T-shirts for Lady Panther fans.
	Since deciding on the team’s colors and the uniforms, Coach Meyer has been investigating the purchase of the necessary equipment for practice and games.  He has already purchased plenty of softballs for the team and has been pricing batting helmets.  Gart Brothers Sports has helmets available for $34.99 and Outpost Sports has them available for $32.95.  
	“I’ll probably purchase the helmets from Gart Brothers because they are of better quality than the helmets available at Outpost,” said Coach Meyers. “Besides, I can pick up the helmets when I also purchase the catcher’s mitt and the catcher’s mask from Garts.”
	The only remaining equipment for the coach to purchase will be the softball bats.  Currently, he has found three styles of aluminum bats that he likes and that cost the same amount.  All three styles are available at Harry’s Sport Shop.
	“Since bats are so expensive and last year the bats dented too easily, I want to purchase bats that are more resistant to denting,” commented Coach Meyers.
	The first game for the Lady Panthers will occur on June 6 at home.  They will be playing the Nappanee Ravens at Strawberry Field.  
	“I’m looking forward to helping the girls get ready for our first game.  I’ve heard the Nappanee Ravens have some good players, so we’ll need to be ready to go!” explained Coach Meyers. 
	We want to wish good luck to Coach Meyers and the Lady Panthers in their game against the Ravens and in their upcoming season!!  Take ‘em out with a growl, ladies!

Coach Meyers knew that Eva, who plays first base for the Lady Panthers, has an older sister that works as a materials engineer.  Her name is Louisa Rodriguez, Ph.D.  When he contacted Dr. Rodriguez, she explained that the size of the crystals in the aluminum is often a good indicator of the relative resistance to denting or strength of the material.  She said that aluminum consisting of smaller crystals was stronger than aluminum consisting of larger crystals. Dr. Rodriguez volunteered to provide microscopic photographs of the crystal size called ‘micrographs’ because they were the standard way to compare the size of the crystals.  Materials engineers can chemically treat polished pieces of aluminum to make the boundaries between the crystals more visible.  Using a camera attached to a microscope, a picture of the boundaries between the crystals can be obtained and then the size of the crystals can be estimated.   
Coach Meyers was fascinated and asked if it is ever possible to see metal crystals without a microscope.  Dr. Rodriguez suggested that Coach Meyers check out the new metal poles supporting the traffic lights on a nearby corner.  These steel poles are coated with a thin layer of zinc metal that helps prevent rust formation.  The zinc metal forms very large crystals that can be readily seen by eye.  The pictures below show the metal pole and a close-up picture of the crystals on the surface of the pole.  The letters a, b and c indicate three crystals that have had a line drawn along the boundaries between the crystals.  The arrow on the drawing is the scale marker for this picture.   

            
	
	Figure 1: Traffic Light Pole			     Figure 2: Crystals

Readiness Questions

1.	What positions are still open on the Lady Panther’s team?

2.	What equipment are the players responsible for purchasing on their own?

3.	Why is Coach Meyers purchasing the batting helmets from Gart Brothers when they are cheaper at Outpost Sport?

4.	How is Coach Meyers going to decide which bat to purchase?

5.	How is the size of an aluminum crystal related to a bat’s resistance to denting?

6.	How can material engineers view crystals when they are too small to be seen by the naked eye?

7.	Can some crystals be seen by the naked eye?  Where?

8.	Given the scale marker below the picture of the traffic light pole, how wide is the pole?

The Choice of the Aluminum Bat

Your Mission:  Using the three microscopic pictures of the samples of aluminum below, determine the typical size of crystal in each sample for Coach Meyer.  Also, write a letter to Coach Meyer explaining how you found the typical crystal size so that he may share your process with other softball players and coaches that plan to purchase aluminum bats.