Physics in Pool
Physics in Sports
Introduction
Billiards, Pool or 8 Ball are the names given to this game. For many of us 8 Ball is a game that we play at friends' place or at pool houses, pubs and a good many other places. But when you are playing 8
Ball you would never really think about physics would you? But it is there, and it is in play everytime the cue hits the ball to make it curve, everytime you jump the ball over another or bounce it around the cushioned sides to get the white ball to connect with one of your own. This connection is also a matter of physics, the angles that you hit the balls into the pockets at, the speeds that the balls travel at and of course the ever embarrassing ball bouncing around the table without hitting a ball at all. Why does the white ball slow down? Why didn't that ball go in the pocket? Why did that ball hit the back of the pocket and pop back out? These questions are all related to physics and will be discussed throughout this investigation as well as many others revolving around differences in equipment and other interesting facts.
Description of Materials Used
The materials used for 8 Ball are generally the same for each person, with the exception of people who have extra things that others don't have (spiders, score counters, Kelly pool balls and snooker balls - another type of game with similar characteristics but different rules). 8 Ball is played on a table which is usually around about the height of 120cm above the floor, the covering on the top of the pool table is a cloth type surface called 'felt' made of a type of wool which has a very small amount of friction, the table is normally in a rectangular shape that normally can have as big dimensions as 3 metres in length and around about a metre in width. 8 Ball is played with 16 balls on the table numbered from 1 to 15 and with a white ball that is the ball that must be hit with the cue at the beginning of each
Introduction
Billiards, Pool or 8 Ball are the names given to this game. For many of us 8 Ball is a game that we play at friends' place or at pool houses, pubs and a good many other places. But when you are playing 8
Ball you would never really think about physics would you? But it is there, and it is in play everytime the cue hits the ball to make it curve, everytime you jump the ball over another or bounce it around the cushioned sides to get the white ball to connect with one of your own. This connection is also a matter of physics, the angles that you hit the balls into the pockets at, the speeds that the balls travel at and of course the ever embarrassing ball bouncing around the table without hitting a ball at all. Why does the white ball slow down? Why didn't that ball go in the pocket? Why did that ball hit the back of the pocket and pop back out? These questions are all related to physics and will be discussed throughout this investigation as well as many others revolving around differences in equipment and other interesting facts.
Description of Materials Used
The materials used for 8 Ball are generally the same for each person, with the exception of people who have extra things that others don't have (spiders, score counters, Kelly pool balls and snooker balls - another type of game with similar characteristics but different rules). 8 Ball is played on a table which is usually around about the height of 120cm above the floor, the covering on the top of the pool table is a cloth type surface called 'felt' made of a type of wool which has a very small amount of friction, the table is normally in a rectangular shape that normally can have as big dimensions as 3 metres in length and around about a metre in width. 8 Ball is played with 16 balls on the table numbered from 1 to 15 and with a white ball that is the ball that must be hit with the cue at the beginning of each