Motion And Forces In Bowling

Bowling is one of the most accessible sports in North America and Europe. Bowling consists of a player rolling or throwing a bowling ball toward pins or another target on a close to the frictionless alleyway. Therefore, to achieve the best score in the game many aspects of physics are incorporated to do such.

Every time the bowling ball is thrown down the alley Newton’s 3 Laws can be seen numerous times on different occasions. Newton’s first law is the law of inertia, objects at rest will stay at rest unless acted on by an outside force. This is shown when a bowling pin will stay standing up at rest if it has not come in contact with the bowling ball itself. The bowling ball has a force which is exerted by the force that one applies to support the ball. This is Newton’s Third Law in which for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Which is the force that the ball exerts on one – the more massive the ball, the more force one would have to exert, and at the same time, the more weight one would feel. Lastly in the sport of bowling, one can use different masses of bowling balls to execute the game. Different weighted balls change the acceleration of the ball down the lane. As we know, mass and acceleration are inversely proportional to one another when the net force is kept constant (F = ma). This is Newton’s Second Law of Motion.

The ideal pathway of a bowling ball is a curved path where it strikes the pins at an angle. With this angle there is a greater chance of a strike (knocking all pins down in one play). To achieve the best possible shot when striking the pins, the concept of physics should be weighed heavily when playing the game. If the ball follows a curved path, it will be able to strike the pins at a greater angle than a bowling ball that travels in a straight line. Therefore, controlling the degree of curve is essential to making the best possible shot, this is shown in Figure 1.

There are 4 types of forces applied to the bowling bowl in the game of bowling, it includes;

• Force Applied
• Force of Gravity
• Force of Normal
• Force of Friction

The force applied is the amount of force that the player exerts on the bowling ball, the more force the farther the ball will accelerate. The force of gravity that is applied to the bowling ball is 9.81m/s. The force of normal is applied to the bowling bowl perpendicular in which the ball comes in contact with the surface. Finally the force of friction is what slows the ball over the course of the lane, which will be described in further detail below.

After the bowling ball is released from the player’s hand it will gradually slow down over the course of its path. The main cause of this is Friction. The magnitude of the friction between the bowling ball and bowling lane depends on what the surfaces are made of and the amount of oil on the lane, if there is any at all, and the mass of the ball. Some lanes will have no conditioning on it at all, while others will have oil placed to a certain degree on different areas of the lane. As the bowling ball travels down the lane, the friction between the ball and the boards will slow it down .The less friction, the harder it is for the bowler to send the ball in a curved path imparted by the spin that the bowler puts on the ball at the instant of release. Gravitational potential energy takes place while the bowler is holding the ball in their hands before releasing it. This equation is expressed as Eg = mass*gravity*height, therefore the higher the player holds the ball the more gravitational potential energy the ball has. Same with if the mass of the bowling ball is larger the ball will also have a greater potential energy. The bowling ball traveling down the lane is an example of kinetic energy. When the ball hit the pins and knocked them over, work was performed. The kinetic energy of an object depends upon its mass and its velocity. An example of kinetic energy being transferred within the sport of bowling is when a bowling ball comes in contact with the pins. After collisions between bowling balls and the pins you see the pins scatter and bounce when struck by the ball, therefore transferring some of the kinetic energy from the bowling ball to the pins.

Different bowling balls are made out of various materials including; Coverstocks-Plastic, Urethane, Reactive Resin, and Particle (Proactive). If you take a look at physics you can determine the pros and cons of each ball. For example a ball made out of plastic is best for beginner players due to the fact that it offers the least amount of friction, therefore making it difficult to achieve hook balls. However a particle ball has a rough bumpy surface with a heavier mass to allow maximum friction and mass. A higher mass promotes a lot of length down the lane with a greater velocity and acceleration compared to lighter bowling balls.

In conclusion, many may not realize that in order to succeed in the game of bowling one must take many aspects of physics into account . The sport of bowling includes 4 forces acting upon the ball, the ways that Newton’s laws apply to the game, and the energy. This sport as well as anything else is affected by physics. Even though the sport may not seem complex other than knocking down some pins with a weighted ball. If one delves in deep to the complexity of physics in the sport they can learn how to optimize the game to their advantage.