QuesTec

Key takeaways

QuesTec belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect QuesTec to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of QuesTec from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

QuesTec was a digital media company that pioneered virtual replay from real-time measurement data for baseball and tennis. Years before competitors introduced similar products, QuesTec had established a reputation for accuracy and reliability. Although originally based on internally developed technology, in 1998 QuesTec moved to tracking technology provided by engineers at the Atlantic Aerospace Electronics Corporation (now a division of L3Harris) led by project manager and group director Paul Baim. QuesTec is best known for its Umpire Information System (UIS), used by Major League Baseball for the purpose of providing feedback and evaluation of Major League umpires. The QuesTec company, based out of Deer Park, New York, was mostly involved in television replay and graphics throughout its history. In 2001, however, the company signed a 5-year contract with Major League Baseball to use its pitch tracking technology as a means to review the performance of home plate umpires during baseball games. The contract continued through the 2008 season through annual extensions.

The Umpire Information System The UIS consists of four cameras placed around a ballpark that feed into a computer network and record the locations of pitches throughout the course of a game. Two of the cameras are located high in the stands above the 1st and 3rd base lines to track the trajectory of each pitch. The other two are located at field level and record the stance of the batter so the top and bottom of the strike zone can be set. Computer software then generates CDs that umpires and MLB executives can review and learn from. These CDs include video of the pitches as well as graphic representations of their locations plus feedback on the umpires' accuracy. Paul Baim and the UIS were featured in a 2002 segment of PBS's Scientific American Frontiers called "Baseball Tech". When first introduced, controversy over the Umpire Information System quickly developed as umpires and players alike voiced concern over the system's accuracy and the fact that limited deployment (6 parks in the first year) might not guarantee uniform umpiring in the remaining parks. In its early trial period, baseball analysts questioned whether QuesTec was producing the consistency in umpiring that was supposed to occur. A report by a QuesTec operator a year later suggested that the system still needed to be tweaked. The controversy was fueled, in part, by several attempts by the World Umpires Association (WUA) to have the system removed through legal action, culminating in a dispute filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Meanwhile, a more hands-on approach was taken by former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling; Schilling used a bat to smash one of QuesTec's field cameras after being told by an umpire that he wanted to call some of his pitches strikes, but QuesTec made him call them balls, an act that led to a fine for the pitcher. The NLRB grievance was dropped by the WUA as part of the contract negotiations with MLB after the 2005 season, ending the legal challenges to the system. As the UIS controversy died down and the statistics accumulated, it became clear that the UIS was accomplishing its basic goals of narrowing the strike zone closer to the width of the plate and returning both lower and higher strikes that were typically not called before the system was introduced. In addition, the claims that the system would "ruin the game" have not been fulfilled, as both pitching and hitting statistics in "QuesTec ballparks" have been consistent with comparable statistics for non-QuesTec parks, and players have adapted to the changes brought by the system. As of the end of the 2008 season, the system had analyzed more than 4,800 games. An article assessing Questec's legacy, 20 years after Questec's technology debuted, declared the system had achieved its mission to establish a standardized strike zone consistent with the rule book definition. The company appears to have ceased operations, as other companies and technologies proved competitive, and is no longer listed on the OTC stock exchange. Never the less, the term 'questec' is still heard throughout Major League Baseball as the generic term for pitch location technology.

QuesTec stadiums American Family Field – Milwaukee Brewers Angel Stadium of Anaheim – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Chase Field – Arizona Diamondbacks Daikin Park – Houston Astros Fenway Park – Boston Red Sox Progressive Field – Cleveland Indians Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum – Oakland Athletics Rate Field – Chicago White Sox Shea Stadium – New York Mets (now defunct) Tropicana Field – Tampa Bay Rays Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees (now defunct)

See also PITCHf/x – the pitch tracking system used by MLB Advanced Media from 2007 to 2016 TrackMan – the pitch tracking system used in MLB's Statcast system since 2017

References

External links Official site

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with QuesTec

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what QuesTec claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to QuesTec before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about QuesTec ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of QuesTec

In research: QuesTec appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses QuesTec in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: QuesTec is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Baseball statistics, Deer Park, New York, Sports television technology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for QuesTec outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study QuesTec in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what QuesTec means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain QuesTec out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is QuesTec in simple terms?

QuesTec was a digital media company that pioneered virtual replay from real-time measurement data for baseball and tennis. Years before competitors introduced similar products, QuesTec had established a reputation for accuracy and reliability.

Why does QuesTec matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study QuesTec?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on QuesTec.