The Physics of Bowling

I have never played bowling very often and seriously as i am being addicted to this sports for almost a couple of months now. The main factor of course are my bowling buddies who are very much addicted to this sport. We never fail to bowl every weekend and as i play the game more often it made me think that bowling is more than how much effort you exert on throwing the ball and how heavy the ball that you are using. Obviously i exert lesser efforts than my male counterparts and i used the lightest ball. But come to think of it, my friends are amazed because often times i still hit more pins.

My bowling best bud Jun has taught me some moves that i was able to apply every now and then which made me play better games. To fully understand and be convinced about all these moves to consistently score strikes i googled the physics of bowling and these is what ive found out.

A certain Tom Cull broke down the physics of bowling into three distinct components:

1. approach and preparation of delivery to the point of release - The bowler starts with the ball about waist level and approaches the foul line while raising the ball upwards and behind herself. The ball is usually released a few inches off the ground, so the ball has the potential energy of height from the shoulders to the ground imparted to it as kinetic energy. The arm of the bowler mainly serves to redirect this energy toward the pins. The walking to almost sprinting approach of the bowler serves the purpose of steadying the bowler as well as imparting some speed to the released ball (although I have seen may a recreational bowler come to a complete stop at delivery).

2. the path of the ball on the alley - The ball and oily alley interaction is extremely difficult to model completely, yet many experienced bowlers can figure the lane to lane variation in about 5 minutes and make the adjustments to their game to be successful. The ball slides on the lane until the frictional force causes it to roll without slipping. The direction of the frictional force is constant. This produces a parabolic trajectory if the ball has any side spin.

When the ball rolls, the side spin takes over and the ball can hook back toward the middle of the lane in a straight line. The combination of sliding in a parabolic path and then rolling in a straught line looks like a big hook when some bowlers throw the ball.

3. the interaction of the ball with the pins - The pins are arranged across the 3.5 feet of the alley and 3 feet deep

( 7)    ( 8)    ( 9)    (10)     ( 4)    ( 5)    ( 6)         ( 2)    ( 3)             ( 1) 

The collision of the ball with the pins is a chaotic system. Small variations in the velocity (speed and direction) of the ball when it hits the pin, as well as collision location can lead to widely different results. For example, a very straight throw that hits the head pin head on, can lead to a 7-10 split which is nearly impossible to make. In fact, making the 7-10 is a shot that requires a huge amount of good luck. The "pocket" is defined as between 1-3 for righthanded bowlers and 1-2 for lefthanders. Hitting the pocket does not guarantee a strike but it is where experience dictates a strike is more likely. In fact, most strikes happen as a result of "good pin carry." Good pin carry is when the pins knock each one another over after the first one is hit by the ball. It is actually possible to have bad pin carry in which pins miss each other and remain (this happens most often when a bowler leaves a 5, 1-5, 2-8, 3-9, or 4-7-10, and many other combinations. The ball weights anywhere from about 10 pounds to 16 pounds and the pins weigh in at 4 pounds. So the ball can change course significantly after contact, while the pins fly off in all directions.

There is no reasonable way to predict the collision results. Bowlers who bowl a perfect 300 game often speak of being in the groove, which may refer to having a reproducible approach and release, but almost any 300 game has a least one "lucky" throw in it.

Amazing! I started using a 7 lbs ball but i made it a point to use heavier balls each game i play, and now im using an 11 lbs ball. Now i know the reasons behind all those power moves and deadly bowling styles, watch out on my next game haha

knowing what you dont like vs. knowing what you like

I wanted to do much more in my life here miles away from my family. The problem is, ive always knew what i didnt like to do, but not exactly it was what i did like to do. Thinking about this problem of mine, maybe its most likely that i believe that i cant have what i want, and thus i dont think about it.

It is like thinking that if we encounter too many losses or setbacks in a particular area of life, we tend to stop "liking" or "wanting" those things. Or at least we appear to do so on the surface. The truth is that we still like or want them, but we no longer "live" in the part of our brains that does the wanting.

Thus, if you have this kind of block, the straightforward way to approach it is to ask yourself what you cant have, and then see if you would want those things if you could have them.

Make sense?

The Killing of John Lennon

I watched the Killing of John Lennon a couple of nights ago and it reminded me of my dear friend Minerva whom i think the biggest fan of John Lennon.  I am a Beatles fan and i love some of their songs but I was only 2 years old when Lennon was killed, and couldn't figure what the fuss was over--I had no idea what a "Beatle" meant to anybody. As I grew up and found out just what the Beatles were, and what John Lennon meant, I realized I probably would never fully comprehend what Chapman did or why, because I had missed the understanding at the time of the assassination. 

Chapman emphasized that he was a nobody until he killed the biggest somebody on earth.  It is worst to think that precisely because of his insanity, he will live out the rest of his life at taxpayer expense, never being punished in any meaningful way.  If a person is so depressed that they wish to end their own life, that is their choice and their right. When their depression leads them to end the life of another, they are guilty of murder - and _that_ should be the foremost concern of the law in setting punishment.  

Watching the movie and listening to his ramblings and justifications for his act, the film is making the insane Chapman famous all over again.  In other words the film makers and the viewers are giving him another giant fix of the drug he always wanted - FAME!  I just wished i did not watch the movie anymore after all i already know what will obviously happen and what the ending will be.

The Alchemist

Last year i remember my friend Wowie talked about personal legend one night we went out for dinner and coffee in Ortigas.  If i remember it right we were with Bang and her boylet that night.  Bang's boylet and Wowie had a discussion about that personal legend and the latter was so affected about pursuing hers.  Now i can relate with her because i just finished reading Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist.

The Alchemist has sold over 65 million copies in 150 countries, and has been translated into nearly 60 languages. It’s won awards; it’s being made into a movie; it’s featured front and center in any bookstore you enter.  It is clearly a good book and it’s certainly well-written and moves quick that one can read it in just one sitting.

It has been compared to Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince and Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. The Alchemist touches people in its own quiet way.  The book conveys that it doesn't matter if you're searching for buried treasure, or for love, or for the secret of turning lead into gold. It doesn't matter if you die trying, never reaching your goal. It doesn't matter if you don't find what you're looking for, once you get there. What matters is what you've brought with you on the way, and what you've learned along the way. The people you meet, the hardships and heartaches you go through, the lessons your experiences has taught you.

It is very timely for me to read this book for it teaches you to live your life well. Live every moment in the moment. Have fun and enjoy everything life has to offer, but don't forget the things that really matter. Let go of things that are not within your control. Live your life and let others live theirs, what works for you may not work for them and vice versa. There is something to be learnt in everything.

Should just be treated as such

A friend posted a link regarding the sex video scandal of Hayden Kho and Katrina Halili which can be viewed at youtube. I got curious because it was all over the news in the Philippines that this doctor have filmed his sexual escapades with different girls. What made this more prominent in the news was the fact that the girls are celebrities in their own right. One was FHM’s sexiest woman for a couple of years, the other is a fellow doctor, and the last one is a Brazilian model. Add the fact that this guy has a rich and popular girlfriend as well made the incident newsworthy.

Today a guy friend told me that there were real videos that can be found in another site. Since i have nothing to do after work i watched the three full videos of the said docror's sex scandal. Overall, the videos are just an intimate moment with a man and a woman. What made it disgusting is the fact that the man filmed the acts without the women’s knowledge. I don’t like the fact that Hayden did what he did which made the women vulnerable to the public but the women should have been more careful in the beginning. If they want to be respected, they have to respect themselves first. This should be a lesson to some girls, never fully trust a person as to go all the way with him without knowing what he is capable of. Ang galing kong magpayo no lmao!

There are talk and speculation that Hayden Kho Jr.'s medical license will be revoked. In fairness to Hayden Jr, it was not his intent to publish his sex tapes. Those were just his personal and private collection to which you and I and the rest of the world is not part of. True, video-taping those highly controversial sex acts may be deemed perverted. However, I am sure there are lot of other people out there with some other quirks and irks that we know nothing of and the sex videos of Hayden Jr. should have been treated as such. Private and Personal. The involved sex partners should be the ones to press charges, not the Professional Regulation Board or the Senate! Election is near no wonder politicians are getting involved already.

The way i see it

I love Tim Hortons coffee! But whenever i passed by Starbucks and i feel the need of having a good coffee i normally order latte or caramel frapuccino venti! I also like reading the paper cup. “The Way I See It” is a series of quotes, one is printed on each coffee cup.

Here are some of the quotes that strike me...


Failure's hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you're successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever.
Hmm... interesting.


The irony of commitment is that its deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic. from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.


And today my coffee paper cup says...

You can shower a child with presents or money, but what do they really mean, compared to the most valuable gift of all - your time? Vacations and special events are nice, but so often the best moments are the spontaneous ones. Every moment you spend with your child could be the one that really matters.
Ouch!

Spoiling and Loving A Child

Just bought psp for my little boy and i googled its effect on children. And this is what ive found out.

Computers play a major role in shaping the future of kids. Days are gone when children loved to indulge in outdoor activities, rather than running or playing outside children spend most of their time playing online games. Online games surely have an impact on minds of kids.Taking into consideration it positively is a great mind exercise and helps kids explore many new things. It includes improvement in recursive and proactive thinking, increased sociability, and improved interpretive skills. Research shows that the children who played online games were more active and had sharper minds than their other counterparts. Some video games have been specifically designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, and reinforce development.

As a parent i want my child to have opportunities playing sports or doing activities that might not be available through the schools. So that requires getting them around. When you have kids, yes, it is a commitment and you do end up losing your freedom as a non child person a bit. Your life is not your own in the same sense it was before.

I may sound like spoiling my child because i believe that you are only a child once, why not make it the most productive and happiest experience ever? And i never feel guilty about loving too much, the world always needs more.