When a [spinning] cricket ball is flying through the air is it rotating or is it revolving?

 

I ask because here in the UK a cricket sports presenter is claiming that if you watch the cricket ball in super slow motion and in high definition on this particular sports programme you can "see the revolutions of the ball". I think he should be saying "you can see the rotations of the ball" because the ball is rotating about its axis of rotation similar to the Earth rotating about its axis of rotation once every 24 hours BUT revolves around the Sun every 365 days.

 

Who is correct him or moir?

both are correct.

 

if you have ever opened a dictionary(and i'm pretty sure you have) you will see that a lot of words have a number of different and distinct definitions.

 

in the world of science we don't like having multiple definitions to a word as it can lead to confusion so we have our own subset of the english language where everything has a precise and exact meaning.

 

if we apply this subset to the common usage of english a lot of stuff doesn't make sense as definitions are missing and common usage isn't even considered at all in science.

 

so, if we are talking about scientific english, you are correct and the commentator is wrong.

 

if we are talking about standard english then both are correct(due to there being multiple definitions on words)

 

as the commentator is not speaking to only scientists and engineers it is safe to assume he is communicating using the standard english and therefore revolve is an acceptable word to use and rotate is also perfectly acceptable.

Who is correct him or moir?

Well, scratch my back with a hacksaw. He is. You are trying to extend to the world at large a distinction in terminology that is specific to one particular scientific discipline. Most astronomers shun the word revolve and its kin in favor of orbit precisely because revolve has multiple meanings, one of which is a synonym for rotate.

I thought I was just asking whether the ball was rotating or revolving