The Physics of Three Basic Shots in Pool
Kevin Snell
Montgomery County
Abstract
Pool is a simple game that can be used to illustrate elastic collisions. Using various formulas from physics,
many components can be derived including velocity, mass (if not standard), force, and acceleration at a
given point. The investigation involved little more than researching the equations behind these collisions
and applying them to pool. They were applied to a straight (linear) shot, a cutting (indirect) shot, and a
combination (more than 1 ball) shot. No actual
testing was done because of a lack of equipment.