Pool players often pride themselves on their ability to impart a large speed on
ID: 2106061 • Letter: P
Question
Pool players often pride themselves on their ability to impart a large speed on a pool ball. In the sport of billiards, event organizers often remove one of the rails on a pool table to allow players to measure the speed of their break shots (the opening shot of a game in which the player strikes a ball with his pool cue). With the rail removed, a ball can fly off the table; the distance the pool ball lands from the table indicates the initial speed of the ball. As the only participant with a physics background, they have placed you in charge of determining the speed of the players' break shots.
The top of the pool table is 3.05 ft from the floor. The placement of the tape is such that 0 feet aligns to the edge of the table (as shown). The winner of the competition wants to know if he has broken the world record for the break shot of 32 mph. His ball landed a distance 14.00 ft from the table edge.
Calculate his break shot speed in mph.
At what speed did his pool ball hit the ground in mph?
Explanation / Answer
3.055 ft = 0.929 m
time of flight = t
0.929 = 0.5* 9.8*t*t
t = 0.435 sec
14 ft = 4.267 m
so 4.267 = v* 0.929
v =4.593 m/s = 16.535 kmph = 10.274 mph
speed it will hit ground
Vf = 10.197 m/s = 36.7097 kmph =22.8103 mph