Question

Work done by a fielder in catching a ball is:
A. Zero
B. Positive
C. Negative
D. None of the above

Answer 1

When the ball is hit high or low by the batsman, there’s a force given to the ball to accelerate at a particular speed of bat and follow a trajectory path for a specified distance. Now, what happens when a fielder gets hold off the ball? The fielder stops the moving ball, thus bringing its acceleration to zero. Use the work done formula to substantiate more.

Complete step by step answer:
When the ball is hit by a batsman, the ball is hit with a force transmitted from his arm to the bat and from the bat to the ball. When the ball is hit with a force $F$, it experiences an acceleration $a$, which causes the ball to move for a distance in trajectories.
Now a fielder is said to stop the ball that is under constant acceleration $a$. He produces a stopping force called ${F_{stop}}$that directly opposes the motion of the ball. The force is said to be against the ball trajectory in order to stop it.
Generally, the work done is negative for forces that oppose the motion of the other or stop the moving particle with an initial force. Now, applying this concept in our case, we can say that the fielder is said to apply a force that is in the opposite direction of the moving ball, thus which means that ${F_{stop}} > F$, which brings the motion of the ball to halt. Using the above statement, we can say that the work done for negative forces with respect to the moving particle to either stop it or oppose it, is said to be negative.
Hence, Option (C) is the right answer.

Note: When a ball is thrown in at an angle inclined to the normal, it just doesn’t undergo gravitational motion, rather it undergoes a path of trajectory. This is a similar application of how the ball moves in a field when a batsman strikes the ball.