The Physics of Bowling
Today, across the world, nearly 95 million people enjoy the sport of bowling (Fit 4 Fun).
It is enjoyed by people of various ages, backgrounds, genders and abilities, from construction
workers and miners to Presidents of the United States.
Our basic conceptual understanding of bowling is that it is a game where the objective is
to roll a weighted ball down a lane (or “alley”) in order to knock down as many of the ten pins as
you possibly can. For any of us who have bowled before, we all know that it takes a little more
than physical strength to knock down pins. It takes a lot of skill and some understanding of what
is needed to put the ball right where you want it to go.
A lot of this skill is derived out of a basic understanding of physics. There are many basic
concepts that surround the sport of bowling. Some of the most important include friction,
tangential speed/ centripetal force and momentum.
Friction: The concept of friction plays a large role in how the bowling ball moves and
how the game itself is designed in our modern society. Friction is a force that opposes motion
between two objects when in contact (Physics vocab). As
the ball moves from the hands of the player down the
lane, the interaction between the ball and the lane causes
friction, which slows down the speed of the ball. The
magnitude of friction depends on the conditioning of the
lane and the mass of the ball. Many lanes are conditioned
with oil in order to decrease the friction between the ball and
the lane. The more oil, the less the friction. This allows the
Figure 1: The ball is moving down the lane.
The conditioning of the lane (oiled or not)
and the mass of the ball affect friction
(Physics in Action)
bowler to send the ball down the lane much easier and allows the ball to curve as a result of the
spin the player puts on the ball upon release. Friction can also play a role in the amount of pins a
player knocks over. Speed and the angle at which the ball hits the pins are essential to knocking
over pins. With lower friction, the ball can travel faster and curving the ball is possible.
Tangential Speed/ Centripetal Force: Almost more important than how the ball travels
down the lane is how it is thrown. To have the ball effectively travel down the lane with speed
and with force, the way the ball travels from the player’s hands to the lane is essential. The
standard way a bowler throws the ball is in a semi-circular motion, as shown in figure 2. The
force at which the ball travels in this circle is called centripetal force. Centripetal force is the
force that keeps particles in a uniform circular motion
(Physics vocab). Once the ball finishes travelling in this
centripetal motion, the player releases it and it goes off in
a straight line, or in a tangent. This is called tangential
speed, or the instantaneous linear speed of an object at
any point in its circular path (Tangential speed). The
magnitude of the tangential speed depends on the
magnitude of the centripetal force. This speed takes the
Figure 2: The centripetal motion of
the ball in the hands of the player.
Notice how the arm moves back to
front in a circular motion (The
Physics Classrooms)
ball down the lane and into the pins. If thrown correctly, the
speed of the ball can weigh heavily on the amount of pins a
player knocks over.
Momentum: Momentum is the quantity
of an object’s mass and it’s velocity:
momentum= mv (Physics of Bowling). Just
how the mass of the ball and the speed of the
ball affect friction, it also affects its momentum.
The more massive the ball and the faster it goes,
the more momentum it has. The more
momentum it has, the more pins it is bound to
knock over. The more momentum the ball has, the
Figure 3: The mass of the ball and the
velocity at which it is thrown factors into
the momentum. The more momentum, the
more likely you are to knock down more
pins (Pullman)
less likely it is that the pins will be able to sustain
an equal force upon the ball or conserve momentum, forcing the pins to fly backwards and fall
down.
Physics affects every aspect of the game of bowling. From the way you throw the ball,
how it travels down the lane and how it hits the pins is all affected by physics. Friction,
tangential speed and momentum are some of the most important physical properties of bowling
and if you take these properties into account, you might knock a few more pins down than you
might have before.
Works Cited
"Fit 4 Fun Fitness." WorkNotes. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
<http://worknotes.com/Il/Chicago/fit4funkidsfitness/ap2.stm>.
"Physics of Bowling." Top End Sports. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.topendsports.com/sport/tenpin/physics.htm>.
"Physics Vocabulary." Idea Place. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
<http://ideaplace.org/Tester/TesterVL.cgi?fd=physics&tf=physics_final_exam.FB>.
PremierBowler. "How to Bowl with the Four Step Approach." Firehow. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.firehow.com/20090324766/how-to-bowl-with-the-four-stepapproach.html>.
Pullman, William. "How To Choose The Right Size Bowling Ball." Livestrong. 19 July 2011.
Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/178435-how-to-choose-theright-size-bowling-ball/>.
"Tangential Speed, Tangential Acceleration, and Centripetal Acceleration." NISD. Web. 15 Mar.
2011.
<http://www.nisd.net/taft/classrooms/martin/Physics/Notes2/Tangential_Speed_Tangenti
al_Acceleration_Centripetal_Acceleration.pdf>.
TMZ. "Obama Strikes Out With Voters." TMZ. 30 Mar. 2008. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.tmz.com/2008/03/30/obama-strikes-out-with-voters/>.
The Physics of
Bowling
Markus Batchelor
March 17, 2011
Period 6
Ms. Allison