Energy storage of bowling ball

[Amyers]

When I started back 5 years ago, I worked on timing and 2 releases. Until I was comfortable that I could repeat these I KNEW there were to many variables to increase my average. Consistently throwing the same and seeing the results allows movement of the line or even changing balls. Seeing players change balls and lines at the same time does not give them improvement, only more frustration. KISS, Keep It Similar Stupid.

Chuck I'm not sure what you are getting at here? This was an example of things not to do and common problems. I know lots of players who change lines with different balls who are very successful with it also. Not a big fan of trying to stand in the same spot all night and just change balls. If it works for you go for it but generally leads to very little success for me.

[RobLV1]

So when manufacturers designate a ball heavy, medium, or dry oil ball are they specifically referring to the coverstock only. In the sense that a heavy oil ball is more porous and will read the lanes earlier and hook earlier and vice versa with dry ball

Or is still a mix of coverstock, RG, core, etc

When manufacturers designate a ball heavy, medium, or light oil ball they are referring to all of the components: cover material, core, and surface, hopefully, or they may just perceive that they have a space in their product line and arbitrarily stick a ball in to fill that hole. They are counting on the fact that most bowlers don't understand ball motion, nor oil patterns for that matter.

[Mike White]

Ok, help me out a bit here.

Balls are rated for dry, medium, heavy oil conditions.

Let's take for an example a medium-heavy oil ball and roll it down a dry lane. As far as energy retention it will lose most of it's energy before it ever hits the pins correct? This is due to the more aggressive and porous coverstock sucking up all the energy?

Counter that with a dry ball on same dry lane conditions. Same bowler throwing same speed but the dry lane ball should impact the pins harder due to more stored energy storage?

Energy Retention or loss is a myth.

The ball has the same amount of energy in it the moment you let it go, as it does when it hits the pins, (minus a little due to the noise it makes, and heat it generates)

What you are calling energy storage, is the balls ability to change direction.

A dull ball will read friction earlier than a polished ball when thrown on the same line.

When the ball has axis rotation (pointing somewhat left for a right hander) and a reasonable amount of revs, the ball has the potential to change direction.

It's only waiting for the oil pattern the become thin enough for the ball to read friction.

Once it reads friction, it will begin to change direction.

The friction also causes the ball to change how it rotates.

Energy is not lost, it is converted from forward speed, into increased rev rate.

This means a decrease in forward speed, an increase in rev rate, and a decrease in axis rotation.

At some point down the lane, the axis rotation should become 0 relative to the balls path at that moment.

Since there no longer is an axis rotation (relative to the path) there are no more forces causing it to change direction.

The lower the initial rev rate, the quicker the ball loses axis rotation when it encounters friction.

What you are calling a ball having rolled out is really just a ball that didn't change direction enough to point towards a good pocket hit.

The polished ball will not lose it's axis rotation as early due to less friction, so when it exits the oil pattern, it changes direction more.

[Aslan]

The physics of it make sense. The ball's weight and force and momentum are all heading towards the pindeck. The combination of axis rotation and rev rate determine how well the ball can fight that momentum and move sideways (hook). A ball with 90 degree axis rotation and 500rpm is going to be able to move left a good deal before the momentum and force eventually cause the ball to straighten out. Conversely, if there is little to no axis rotation (ball throw more end of end) and/or the revolution rate is rather lower (< 300)...the ball will make some attempt to move...but will quickly succumb to the momentum and forces working against that lateral movement...the force of the ball being thrown towards the pins.

Where the above gets more confusing is when you suddenly add variables like coverstock and ball cores. I think a ball can have a core that influences that lateral ball motion and can enhance it. And even though it's easy to understand pearl vs solid vs hybrid...the coverstocks still vary greatly from ball to ball and company to company. So you could have 2 balls, both solid covers, but one behaves more like a urethane ball and the other like a sponge because of drastic differences in covers and corresponding pore sizes.

But I think everyone can agree that you want the ball that will hook back into the pocket at optimum angle...and change direction from hook phase to roll phase just as it hits the pocket. You don't want the ball to still be hooking sideways as it enters the pindeck...but you also don't want it to enter the roll phase too soon and ruin the entry angle, come in light, and leave 10-pins (or worse).

sits back and waits for everyone to disagree about what I think everyone can agree on....

[RobLV1]

I refrained from letting MW suck me in. I will do the same for you. LOL

[ellisr63]

Burned up heads is the reason some pros loft the ball out past the arrows. Ball can't hook in the air.

That might explain why years ago my best game ever was when I was lofting the ball past the arrows, and the pins were literally exploding when the ball hit the pocket. I am not a Pro by any means just an average Joe bowler, and I had never had that kind of action before and Bowled a 280 that game (not bad for a 150 bowler ).

[augoat]

Energy is a basic way to analyze what a bowling ball is doing, and unless you are analyzing the velocity in each of the three planes, it is useless here. For starters, the kinetic energy of a bowling ball going down a lane will never be higher than the moment it is released. The ball cannot and does not gain energy. This is the Law of Conservation of Energy (or First Law of Thermodynamics). Gravity, air resistance and friction are all working to bring the ball to rest, and once the ball leaves your hand there is nothing to counter these forces and keep it in motion. Below is a link that explains the physics of bowling, but if you want to stick to the basics I'd lean on MW's explanation in terms of making sense and applying physics to a closed system. When he says that the ball "reads" friction, it is the point at which the coefficient of friction combined with the angular momentum (spin or revs are the applied force) around the moment of inertia begins to overcome the linear momentum of the ball (the straight line direction and speed applied to the ball). The core of the ball is important because it dictates the most efficient rotation axis based on it's shape (moment of inertias).

http://www.real-world-physics-proble...f-bowling.html

[NewToBowling]

Energy is a basic way to analyze what a bowling ball is doing, and unless you are analyzing the velocity in each of the three planes, it is useless here. For starters, the kinetic energy of a bowling ball going down a lane will never be higher than the moment it is released. The ball cannot and does not gain energy. This is the Law of Conservation of Energy (or First Law of Thermodynamics). Gravity, air resistance and friction are all working to bring the ball to rest, and once the ball leaves your hand there is nothing to counter these forces and keep it in motion. Below is a link that explains the physics of bowling, but if you want to stick to the basics I'd lean on MW's explanation in terms of making sense and applying physics to a closed system. When he says that the ball "reads" friction, it is the point at which the coefficient of friction combined with the angular momentum (spin or revs are the applied force) around the moment of inertia begins to overcome the linear momentum of the ball (the straight line direction and speed applied to the ball). The core of the ball is important because it dictates the most efficient rotation axis based on it's shape (moment of inertias).

http://www.real-world-physics-proble...f-bowling.html

Thanks. Just read a bit of your link and I think my head just exploded.

[Aslan]

Who ever said physics wasn't exciting??

Also, where are all the girls?

[Mike White]

Energy is a basic way to analyze what a bowling ball is doing, and unless you are analyzing the velocity in each of the three planes, it is useless here. For starters, the kinetic energy of a bowling ball going down a lane will never be higher than the moment it is released. The ball cannot and does not gain energy. This is the Law of Conservation of Energy (or First Law of Thermodynamics). Gravity, air resistance and friction are all working to bring the ball to rest, and once the ball leaves your hand there is nothing to counter these forces and keep it in motion. Below is a link that explains the physics of bowling, but if you want to stick to the basics I'd lean on MW's explanation in terms of making sense and applying physics to a closed system. When he says that the ball "reads" friction, it is the point at which the coefficient of friction combined with the angular momentum (spin or revs are the applied force) around the moment of inertia begins to overcome the linear momentum of the ball (the straight line direction and speed applied to the ball). The core of the ball is important because it dictates the most efficient rotation axis based on it's shape (moment of inertias).

http://www.real-world-physics-proble...f-bowling.html

One thing I noticed about the link that is wrong is related to track flare.

He indicated that the ball rocks back and forth to create the oil rings, in fact the ball "rocks" in only one direction known as axis migration.


The word "overcome" I think is wrong in "When he says that the ball "reads" friction, it is the point at which the coefficient of friction combined with the angular momentum (spin or revs are the applied force) around the moment of inertia begins to overcome the linear momentum of the ball (the straight line direction and speed applied to the ball). "

Think of an airplane flying directly north with no wind.

That would be a equivalent to a ball hydroplaning on the oil.

Add to that some wind blowing from east to west.

The effect of the wind would be similar to the ball with some axis rotation, and sufficient RPMs finally finding some friction.

The wind is never going to "overcome" the momentum of the plane, but unless the plane corrects it's course, even a small wind will cause the plane to change direction.

500 mph north + 10 mph west gives a resulting vector that is not directly north.