What is Bowling: Definition and 115 Discussions

Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term bowling usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling,) though in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, bowling could also refer to target bowling, such as lawn bowls.
In pin bowling, the goal is to knock over pins on a long playing surface known as a lane. A strike is achieved when all the pins are knocked down on the first roll, and a spare is achieved if all the pins are knocked over on a second roll.
Lanes have a wood or synthetic surface onto which protective lubricating oil is applied in different specified oil patterns that vary ball path trajectories and characteristics. Common types of pin bowling include ten-pin, candlepin, duckpin, nine-pin, five-pin and kegel. The historical game skittles is the forerunner of modern pin bowling.
In target bowling, the aim is usually to get the ball as close to a mark as possible. The surface in target bowling may be grass, gravel, or synthetic. Lawn bowls, bocce, carpet bowls, pétanque, and boules may have both indoor and outdoor varieties.
Bowling is played by 100 million people in more than 90 countries (including 70 million in the United States alone), and is the subject of video games.

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  1. K

    Rotational Angular Momentum of a Bowling Ball

    Homework Statement A 7 kg bowling ball whose radius is 0.13 m is rolling directly toward you turning three times per second. What are the magnitude and direction of its rotational angular momentum about you? What is its translational angular momentum about you? Homework Equations L = r x...
  2. C

    What is the relationship between potential and kinetic energy?

    I need help with this question. An 8.0 kg bowling ball is rolled from the top of a hill. At the bottom of the hill, the ball is moving at a speed of 7.42m/s. What is the height of the hill? Im trying to use h=PE/mg but i can't get PE with the given at top. May you guys help ? Please and thank...
  3. C

    Bowling physics 10 pin bowling

    Bowling physics... 10 pin bowling... I'm an avid bowler... and trying to figure out the reduction in force into the pins when using a 14lb ball as opposed to a 15 lb ball as opposed to a 16 lb ball. I am reasoning that a lighter ball has less impact power (as in getting hit with a 3 lb brick...
  4. H

    Momentum: When a bowling ball hits a golf ball

    A mass that is significantly larger than another. The larger mass hits the stationary smaller mass. I don't understand why the smaller mass has a velocity of 2 times the larger mass after the collision. Does it have something to do with v1(initial) - v1(final) = v2(initial) - v2(final)?
  5. D

    Bowling ball and force of friction

    Homework Statement A bowling ball with radius (R) and mass (m)hit the ground and traveled a distance (d) before it started to roll due to the force of friction cause by the coefficient of friction (mu) between the ball and the lane. Homework Equations I=2/5mR^2 F=ma torque=I*alpha...
  6. W

    How to Calculate When a Bowling Ball Will Begin to Roll Without Sliding

    Homework Statement A bowling ball is initially bowled so that it doesn't roll with a translational velocity Vo. Show that when the velocity of the ball drops to (5/7)Vo, the ball will begin to roll without sliding. I= (2/5)MR^2 mass= M radius= R Homework Equations V=wR The...
  7. T

    Calculating the velocity of a bowling shot

    1. A bowler is taking a second shot at a single pin left standing. From the top of the back swing, her arm rotates for .8 seconds at an average angular accelerations of 20.94rad/s2. The distance form the axis of roatation at her shoulder joint to the center of mass of the ball is .7m. The 7kg...
  8. C

    How Does a Bowling Ball Accelerate Up a Ramp?

    A bowling ball rolls without slipping up a ramp that slopes upward at an angle beta to the horizontal. Treat the ball as a uniform, solid sphere, ignoring the finger holes. What is the acceleration of the center of mass of the ball? Express your answer in terms of the variable beta and...
  9. r-soy

    Prize Money for 1st Place in 16 Team Bowling League: $1,930

    A 16 team bowling league has $ 8,000 to be awarded as prize money. If the last place team is awarded $ 275 in prize money and the award increases by the same amount for each successive finishing place, how much will the first place team receive? My answer : a1 -- ? D = 275 an =...
  10. D

    Ping Pong ball through a bowling ball

    What information would I need in order to calculate the speed necessary to go through a bowling ball, and how would I calculate it. Also, is there a speed that is fast enough that that ping pong ball doesn't get demolished? (such as the front of the ball having enough energy in itself to go...
  11. M

    Bowling ball rolling - velocity, acceleration, time

    Homework Statement A bowler throws a bowling ball of radius 11.0 cm along a lane. The ball slides on the lane with an initial speed of 8.10 m/s and an initial angular speed of zero (i.e. the ball is not spinning at all when it first makes contact with the lane). The coefficient of kinetic...
  12. J

    Bowling Ball Question 1: Solving for Skidding Time and Distance

    1. The Problem Statement A bowler throws a bowling ball of radius R = 11 cm down the lane with initial speed v0 = 10.5 m/s. The ball is thrown in such a way that it skids for a certain distance before it starts to roll. It is not rotating at all when it first hits the lane, its motion being...
  13. S

    Momentum: Calculating the Forces of a Bowling Ball

    Momentum! eww A) what is the momentum of an 8-kg bowling bowl rolling at 2- m/s? I got this answer which in p=16 kg times m/s B)If the bowling bowl rolls into a pillow and stops in 0.5 sec, calculate the average force it exerts in the pillow? C)What is the average force that the pillow...
  14. D

    Translational Speed of a Bowling Ball

    1. A bowling ball with a mass of 6.95 kg and a radius of 0.194 m starts from rest at a height of 2.21 m and rolls down a 49.2 degree slope. What is the translational speed of the ball when it leaves the incline? 2. Unsure! Here's what I've got, though: ω = v/r mgh=1/2mv2+1/2Iω2 And...
  15. K

    Building a Toothpick Model to Hold a 16 lb Bowling Ball - Tutorials and Tips

    I need to build a toothpick model that can hold a 16 pound bowling ball. I have no idea where to begin, does anyone know of somewhere I can find a tutorial or something?
  16. M

    Velocity of bowling ball after the collision

    Hi, I just need this explained, please. Homework Statement A large bowling ball of mass 6.0 kg moving with a velocity 3.0ms-1 has ahead on collision with a single pin of mass 0.50 kg.If the pin moves with a velocity of 4.0ms-1,calculate the velocity of bowling ball after the collision.
  17. G

    Rolling Bowling Ball (Rolling Energy)

    Homework Statement A 20-cm-diameter, 6.0kg bowling ball rolls along a horizontal floor at 4.0 m/s. The ball then rolls up a 2.0-m-long ramp sloped at 30 degrees up from horizontal. Rolling friction is negligible. What is the ball's speed at the top of the ramp? Homework Equations...
  18. C

    Skidding and rolling without slipping of a bowling ball

    Homework Statement A bowler throws a bowling ball of radius R = 11 cm down the lane with initial speed v0 = 8.5 m/s. The ball is thrown in such a way that it skids for a certain distance before it starts to roll. It is not rotating at all when it first hits the lane, its motion being pure...
  19. G

    Bowling Bowl - Center of mass - Friction - Angular Acceleration/Velocity

    Homework Statement A bowling ball with Mass M and Radius R is thrown down an alley so that the balls center of mass has an initial horizontal velocity of Vo and the ball is not rotating. Kinetic friction force is f^k. Find: a) an expression for the acceleration and velocity of the...
  20. W

    Drop a bowling ball through the middle of the earth

    1. What would happen if you drill a hole that ran from the North pole to the South pole and then drop a bowling ball into the hole? 2. If you fire one bullet straight up (90 degrees from horizon) and one bullet at 45 degrees angle to the horizon which one hits the ground first? 3. If you spin...
  21. D

    Force of car at 40mph is equivalent to bowling ball at ?

    Hi everyone, Time for me to do another demonstration for some coworkers, and I want to make sure I'm being accurate. The idea is to explain how much force a small 2000lb car moving at 40mph has, and then explain the speed that an 8lb bowling ball would need to have the same amount of force...
  22. S

    Bowling Ball Rise: Find Speed at Top w/Conservation of Energy

    Homework Statement A bowling ball encounters a h = 0.662 m vertical rise on the way back to the ball rack, as the figure below illustrates. Ignore frictional losses and assume that the mass of the ball is distributed uniformly. The translational speed of the ball is 3.70 m/s at the bottom...
  23. K

    How Does Friction Affect the Angular Momentum of a Bowling Ball?

    Homework Statement This has 4 parts, I'm confident about 2. 1. The remaining problems involve a bowling ball with a uniformly distibuted mass of 6 kg and a radius of 0.20 m. The ball is initially thrown at a speed of 10 m/s, with a backspin of 6 rad/s (this means it has an angular velocity...
  24. P

    Is it Possible to Leave Only the 1, 7, and 10 Pins Standing in Bowling?

    Hello Everyone, I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place to ask this question or if it is even a legitimate question to be asking, but my friend and I were arguing about it and I was wondering if you could help settle the argument. The question is: Is it physically possible to leave...
  25. A

    Bowling Ball Thrown off Building-Check my work/solutions pls.

    Homework Statement A ball rolls down a roof that makes an angle of 30 degrees to the horizontal. It rolls off the edge woth speed of 5.00 m/s. The distance to the ground from that point is 7.00 m. a) How long is the ball in the air for? b) How far from the base of the house does it land? c)...
  26. M

    How Fast Does a Bowling Ball Travel When It Falls Off a Table?

    Bowling ball and table! Can anyone please help me figure this one out; A bowling ball of mass 7.5kg traveling at 10m/s rolls off a horizontal table 1.0 m high. Calculate the velocity of the ball as it reaches the floor, ignoring air resistance and having an acceleration due to gravity of 9.8m/s.
  27. N

    Bowling ball rubber sheet analogy

    The typical rubber sheet bowling ball analogy to "explain" gravity visually in layman's terms always seems to be two space dimensions. Why don't we use one dimension of space and the other of time? Both are curved by mass and everybody takes Eucledean/Cartesian type flat graphs of, say, x and t...
  28. R

    Solving the Work Needed to Move a Bowling Ball via Conservation of Momentum

    I'm having a little bit of trouble trying to figure out how to solve this problem. I know it has to do with conservation of momentum, but I can't seem to get my first step on the problem. The problem is as follows: A bowling ball with a mass of 5.5kg hangs from the end of a 5.0m cable...
  29. J

    Bowling Ball Slipping and Rolling: Analyzing Acceleration

    A uniform, spherical bowling ball of mass m and radius R is projected horizontally along the floor at an initial velocity v0 = 6.00 m/s. The ball is not rotating initially, so w0 = 0. It picks up rotation due to (kinetic) friction as it initially slips along the floor. The coefficient of...
  30. G

    Bowling Question - Rotational Motion

    Homework Statement A uniform, spherical bowling ball of mass m and radius R is projected horizontally along the floor at an initial velocity v0 = 6.00 m/s. The ball is not rotating initially, so w0 = 0. It picks up rotation due to (kinetic) friction as it initially slips along the floor...
  31. N

    Conservatino of Momentum: Bowling Ball and Earth

    Homework Statement A 7.00kg bowling ball is dropped from rest at an initial height of 3.00m. (a) What is the speed of the Earth coming up to meet the ball just before the ball hits the ground? Use 5.98 x 10^23 kg as the mass of the Earth (b)Use your answer to part (a) to justify ifnoring t...
  32. N

    Kinetic Energy: Calculating with a Bowling Ball

    A bowling ball of mass 8.04 kg and radius 8.48 cm rolls without slipping down a lane at 5.22 m/s. Calculate its total kinetic energy.
  33. T

    How Does Friction Affect the Speed of a Bowling Ball When It Starts Rolling?

    Homework Statement One version: A bowling ball is thrown down the alley with speed v(0). Initially, it slides without rolling, but due to friction, it begins to roll. Show that it's speed when it rolls without sliding is 5/7*v(0) . Another version: Given a bowling ball thrown down the lane with...
  34. T

    Angular Momentum - Bowling ball

    [solved] Angular Momentum - Bowling ball Homework Statement A bowling ball is thrown down the alley with speed v_0 . Initially, it slides without rolling, but due to friction, it begins to roll. Show that it's speed when it rolls without sliding is 5/7 v_0 Homework Equations...
  35. P

    What is the force exerted on a stick by a bowling ball on a rough surface?

    Homework Statement A stick with a mass of 0.205 kg and a length of 0.432 m rests in contact with a bowling ball and a rough floor, as shown in the figure below. The bowling ball has a diameter of 21.9 cm, and the angle the stick makes with the horizontal is 30°. You may assume there is no...
  36. E

    Determining the Speed of a Bowling Ball using Realistic Values

    A ball traveling with constant speed hits the pins placed at the end of the bowling lane 16.5 metres long. The bowler heard the sound of the ball hitting the pins 2.50s after the ball was released from his hands. What was the speed of the ball? The speed of sound is 340 m/s. i know the basic...
  37. O

    How many combinations can be made with 10 bowling pins in 10 positions?

    Hi! Me and some guys at work has a little argue about how many combinations you can have after that you have throwed away the first globe in bowling. There are 10 pins and 10 postions for them to stand. Are there any quations that works out for this? Here's an example of all the 10 pins, rised...
  38. 2

    Kinetic Energy of 7.0 kg Bowling Ball Falling from 2.0 m High Shelf

    A 7.0 kg bowling ball falls from a 2.0 m high shelf. Just before hitting the floor, what will be its kinetic energy? (g = 9.8 m/s² and assume air resistance is negligible) a. 14 J b. 19.6 J c. 29.4 J d. 137 J Now I tried using the normal Kinetic Energy KE equation KE = 1/2mv² but when...
  39. V

    Calculating Impact Force of Bowling Ball: Seeking Assistance

    Hi, I'm trying to solve an argument and hope someone can point me in the right direction. How does one calculate the impact force of a 7.26kg bowling ball traveling at 12 meters per second and impacting a single pin weighing 1.64kg. I calculated the energy of the bowling ball at 662 Newton...
  40. J

    Find the magnitude of the force exerted on the stick by the bowling ball

    Homework Statement A stick with a mass of 0.217 kg and a length of 0.435 m rests in contact with a bowling ball and a rough floor, as shown in the figure below. The bowling ball has a diameter of 21 cm, and the angle the stick makes with the horizontal is 30°. You may assume there is no...
  41. N

    Bowling ball, incline and torque

    Homework Statement If we look at a bowling-ball rolling up an uncline without slipping, I have to find the acceleration of this. I was wondering: May I choose by myself where to look at the torque? I mean, can I decide by myself whether I look at the center of the ball where the sum of...
  42. E

    Angular Acceleration during Bowling

    Homework Statement A bowler throws a bowling ball of radius R = 11 cm down a lane. The ball slides on the lane, with initial speed vcm,0 = 6.0 m/s and initial angular speed 0 = 0. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the ball and the lane is 0.34. The kinetic frictional force fk acting...
  43. K

    Translational Speed of a bowling ball

    A bowling ball encounters a 0.760-m vertical rise on the way back to the ball rack, as the drawing illustrates. Ignore frictional losses and assume that the mass of the ball is distributed uniformly. The translational speed of the ball is 7.88 m/s at the bottom of the rise. Find the...
  44. J

    Kinetic Energy and bowling ball Question

    Homework Statement A 7kg bowling ball falls from a 2m shelf. Just before hitting the floor, what will its kinetic energy be? (air resistance is negligible)Homework Equations PEi + KEi = PEf + KEf KE = 1/2mv^2The Attempt at a Solution m = 7kg Δy = 2m g = 9.8m/s^2 Vi = 0 m/s I solved for the...
  45. P

    How Do You Calculate the Forces Acting on a Stick Leaning on a Bowling Ball?

    So there's a stick with a mass M and a length of L. It's resting in contact with a bowling ball and a rough floor (no friction b/w the ball and the stick, but there is friction b/w the objects and the floor). The balling ball has a diameter of D and the angle the stick makes with the horizontal...
  46. P

    Understanding the Physics: Solving the Bowling Ball Problem in Lecture Halls

    A bowling ball is suspended from the ceiling of a lecture hall by a strong cord. The ball is drawn away from its equilibrium position and released from rest at the tip of the demonstrator's nose, as shown in Figure Q5.8. If the demonstrator remains stationary, explain why the ball does...
  47. A

    Gravity's Effect On A Bowling Ball In A Level Alley

    I need some help on a question: When a bowling ball rolls down a level alley, does Earth's gravity do any work on the ball? Explain with the use of a diagram. I need help b/c I don't know if the Earth's gravity will effect the ball since the alley is not tilted. Thanks.=)
  48. H

    Optimizing Bowling Ball Speed: Comparing 15 lbs and 16 lbs Balls

    I think this is a fairly basic question, but I have been out of physics since high school. Let's assume that I have two identical bowling balls, except that one is 15 lbs and the other is 16 lbs. If we avoid discussion about ball rotation and friction on the lane, how much additional speed...
  49. P

    Comparing Bowling Ball Times on an Incline

    The Flintstones and Rubbles decide to try out the new inclined bowling alley, ``Bedslant Bowling''. Fred's ball and Barney's ball have the same size, but Barney's ball is hollow. Betty's ball and Wilma's ball are scaled down versions of Fred's ball and Barney's ball respectively. They all place...
  50. H

    Help Bowling ball slides off table

    A bowling ball of radius 6'' slides off the edge of a table of height 20''. How far from the base of the table does it land? The ball is initialy at rest, right on the edge, but you bump into the table and it slides off. Assume no friction. Any help? Thanks!
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