[HN Gopher] The physics of bowling strike after strike
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The physics of bowling strike after strike
Author : noleary
Score : 42 points
Date : 2025-04-16 02:16 UTC (2 days ago)
(HTM) web link (arstechnica.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (arstechnica.com)
| RickJWagner wrote:
| At this time, the balls rate of revolution is a strong factor in
| how often the ball hits the pocket and how often it strikes.
|
| This has not always been the case. As the materials used for
| balls, lanes and oil have changed there have been premiums for
| different attributes like accuracy, speed, axis tilt, etc.
|
| Todays best bowlers don't look much like the best from 30 years
| ago, and probably won't look much like the best ones 30 years
| from now.
| bombcar wrote:
| Especially since the pins are on strings now, which changes the
| game.
|
| https://usbowling.com/articles/string-pinsetter-q-a/
| laxatives wrote:
| I love this topic, but this article is literally just "there
| exists a paper" without any useful information about the paper
| aside from the inputs they consider in their model.
| hwpythonner wrote:
| Fascinating work! I'm not a physicist, but I wonder from what
| distance down the lane this model's predictions become reliably
| accurate. It might be interesting to pair it with a second model
| --one that helps bowlers achieve the needed initial conditions
| (release speed, angle, spin) with the required precision. A kind
| of two-stage approach to managing the chaos in the system.
| NickC25 wrote:
| Isn't a strike effectively a solved problem? Like the pin you're
| supposed to aim for, and the angle you're supposed to approach
| the pins at, where you're supposed to stand, and all that?
|
| Like I get that it's super hard to replicate time and time again,
| and that's why pros are as good as they are.
| adenta wrote:
| I think there are diff oil patterns on the lanes that change
| where you want to aim.
| Rooster61 wrote:
| Sort of. Sure, the angle and position of the ball as it hits
| the first pin is solved to a fair degree. The problem is the
| number of variables between when the bowler even picks up the
| ball vs contact.
|
| This is very much like saying we know what angle and speed we
| need for a rocket to achieve orbit, but you need to account for
| many, many other factors, some of which you don't have true
| control over. Weight, dimensions, and geometry of the rocket,
| wind, drag based on variable air density, weight of that
| individual rocket, are all engines burning at the right rate,
| etc, etc.
|
| A veritable mission control is going on in a professional
| bowlers head at any given time. Varying speed of approach, how
| far back the ball should swing, axial tilt in the hand, which
| board to stand on, which board to hit, where the breakpoint
| should be, how the oil is changing as the game wears on (oil
| moves over the course of a game), is the pinsetter actually
| placing the pins correctly. Ball weight, core type, coverstock
| (surface of the ball) type, oil absorbtion into that
| coverstock, etc, etc. It's not so much replication, it's
| constant adjustment, and no two frames, much less games, are
| really the same. Not to mention you can't SEE how oil is
| changing directly. You have to infer it from the reaction of
| your ball as well as other bowlers.
|
| Bowling is a deceptively deep and vexing sport
| RandallBrown wrote:
| Sorta. This is a pretty entertaining video about how hard it
| is, even when you sorta cheat.
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1fUliFuz2U
|
| The oil on the lane can be set in different patterns, so the
| throw can change depending on the pattern. You can't _see_ the
| pattern (I 've never been able to see it anyway), but the alley
| will show you a picture of what it should look like. It also
| will change as balls are thrown over it.
| whartung wrote:
| Is the number of perfect games being bowled in competition
| going up in any meaningful way?
|
| Just curious.
| hatthew wrote:
| It's solved in the same way that baseball is solved: an
| omniscient superhuman player can get the perfect hit every
| time, but the fun is that we're imperfect and have to minimize
| our mistakes and maximize our recovery from mistakes.
| mindslight wrote:
| It's big ball bowling. The ball is nearly as wide as the lane, so
| it knocks over all the pins. QED.
|
| Candlepin and mini golf are the more advanced versions of their
| respective sports. Fight me.
| copypasterepeat wrote:
| I've never heard of candlepin bowling before this, but now that
| I'm reading about it, I'm surprised it's not more popular. It
| looks like a lot of fun. The fact that fallen pins are not
| cleared seems like it would lead to some interesting
| strategies.
| Rooster61 wrote:
| Ehh, 10 pin and candlepin are challenging for differing
| reasons. I wouldn't say one is more difficult than the other.
| It's kind of like comparing NASCAR to rally racing.
| RandallBrown wrote:
| What about mini golf is more advanced than regular golf?
| ktallett wrote:
| I have not considered it enough to form a view yet but I
| expect he would be referring to the precision required for
| mini golf.
| RandallBrown wrote:
| Seems like there is more precision required for regular
| golf since it includes all of the precision of miniature
| golf (putting) with the added difficulty of multiple player
| surfaces, longer distances, and the difficulty of hitting a
| small object with another small object at speeds around 100
| mph.
| dpc050505 wrote:
| the commentary
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULP0cbGXU8k
| dfxm12 wrote:
| _The calculations involved in such research are very complicated
| because there are so many variables that can affect a ball 's
| trajectory after being thrown. Case in point: the thin layer of
| oil that is applied to bowling lanes, which Hooper found can vary
| widely in volume and shape among different venues, plus the lack
| of uniformity in applying the layer, which creates an uneven
| friction surface._
|
| FWIW, pro bowling events will use one of several predetermined
| oil patterns. The bowlers will know the pattern in advance &
| practice for a few frames to get a feel for it. Part of the game
| is knowing how the oil shifts from the balls rolling over it
| throughout the course of the round and making adjustments. My
| buddy was recruited to play on our high school team precisely
| because he was a lefty in a league where there were relatively
| few others and thus his ball would be less affected by these
| variables. https://www.pba.com/player-resources/oil-patterns
|
| Even for fun leagues will probably have someone prepare the lanes
| ahead of time with a certain pattern and let the bowlers know.
| Rooster61 wrote:
| Solid article, but one very important detail that they left out
| is that this only really applies to at least league level and
| above players. Most of this is moot for the recreational, a few
| times a year type bowlers.
|
| 80% of the folks that walk in the door of a bowling alley are
| going to grab plastic house balls and bowl straight (or try to
| put hook on it, which isn't overly effective for a number of
| reasons). Most of this information only applies to bowlers using
| a ball with a coverstock and core that cause the ball to
| naturally hook a certain way.
|
| Nothing wrong with being a recreational bowler or bowling
| straight. It's just trying to apply these statistics to a
| straight ball doesn't quite work.
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