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PhysicsOfBilliardsBallCollision
Thephysicsbehindbilliards(orthephysicsbehindpool),inlargepart,
involvescollisionsbetweenbilliardballs.Whentwobilliardballscollide
thecollisionisnearlyelastic.Anelasticcollisionisoneinwhichthe
kineticenergyofthesystemisconservedbeforeandafterimpact.
Therefore,forsimplicityonecanassumethatforcollisionsinvolving
billiardballs,thecollisionisperfectlyelastic.

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Forcollisionsbetweenballs,momentumisalwaysconserved(justlikein
anyothercollision).Forasimplifiedcaseassumingnofriction(discussed
below),wecancombinethisfactwiththeelasticcollisionassumptionto
findthetrajectoryoftwocollidingbilliardballsafterimpact.Thefigure
belowshowsacollisionbetweentwobilliardballs.Forthegeneralcase,
thecollisionisnotheadon,whichiswhatthefigureshows.
ItisassumedthatballsAandBhavethesamemassandthatballBis
initiallyatrest(zerovelocity).TheinitialvelocityofballAisV1A.After
impact,ballAmovesatvelocityV2Ainthedirectionshown,andballB
movesatvelocityV2Binthedirectionshown.

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RealWorldPhysics
Problems
Newsletter.

ThelineL1isdrawnatatangenttobothballsatthepointofcontact.Due
togeometry,L1isperpendiculartothelinepassingthroughthecenterof
thetwoballsandthecontactpointCP.Duetogeometry,L1alsomakes
ananglewiththevertical,andthelinepassingthroughthecenterof
theballsmakesananglewiththehorizontal.
AfterimpactatCP,ballBmovesinthedirectionofthelinejoiningthe
centerofthetwoballs,asshown.Thisisbecausetheforce(impulse)
deliveredbyballAtoballBactsnormaltothesurfaceofballB,
assumingthereisnofrictionbetweentheballs(agoodassumptionsince
billiardballsaresmooth).Thus,ballBmovesinthedirectionofthis
impulse.
Noticethat,afterimpact,ballAmovesinadirectionperpendiculartothe
directionofballB.Thisinterestingresultcanbeprovenasfollows.
AnalysisOfBallCollision
Forthetwocollidingballs,thegeneralvectorequationforconservationof
linearmomentumis:

SincethemassesmAandmBareassumedequal,thisequationsimplifies
to:

Foranelasticcollisionkineticenergyisconserved,andtheequationis:


SincethemassesmAandmBareequal,thisequationsimplifiesto:

BythePythagoreantheorem,thislastequationtellsusthatthevectors
V1A,V2A,V2Bformarightangledtriangle.Therefore,thevectorequation
forconservationofmomentumcanbedrawnasshownbelow.

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Thus,afterimpactballAmovesinadirectionperpendiculartothe
directionofballB.Thisisaveryslickresult.
Therearetwoadditionalspecialcasestoconsider,involvingballcollision.
ForthecasewherethetargetballBmustbehitatanangleveryclose
tozero(suchastosinkitinthesidepocket),ballAneedstobemoving
atahighspeedV1A(meaningyouwouldhavetohitballAquitehardwith
thecue).Thisisbecauseonlyaverysmallfractionofthemomentumof
ballA(andthereforevelocity)istransferredtoballB,duetothe
obliquenessoftheimpact.
Forthecasewheretheimpactisheadon(=90)theabovesolution
doesnotapply.InthiscaseV2A=0andV2B=V1A.Thisessentially
meansthatthevelocityofballAiscompletelytransferredtoballB.
Foramoredetailedandcompleteanalysis,inwhichthetrajectoryofball
Aiscalculated(afterimpact),undertheinfluenceoffrictionbetweenthe
ballandbilliardtable,seetheproblem,Cueballtrajectorywithtable
friction.
TheSweetSpot
ThephysicsofbilliardsissimilartothePhysicsOfHittingABaseball,in
thatthereisalsoasweetspotonabilliardballwhereyoucanstrikewith
thecuesticksothatnofrictionforcedevelopsbetweentheballandthe
billiardtable.Knowingthelocationofthissweetspotcangiveyouan
ideaofwheretohittheballsothatitdevelopsbackspinorforwardspin,
whichcanbeusefulwhenmakingashot.
Considerthefigurebelowshowingthepositionofthecueatheighth.


Wewishtofindtheheighthsothatno(horizontal)frictionalforce
developsatpointPwhentheballisstruckbythecue.
AnalysisOfTheSweetSpot
Inthisanalysis,wecanrepresenttheball+cuesystemwithafreebody
diagramasshownbelow.

Where:
Fistheforcethecueexertsontheballwhenitstrikes
ristheradiusoftheball
Gisthecenterofmassoftheball
gistheaccelerationduetogravity,whichis9.8m/s2
Pisthepointofcontactoftheballwiththebilliardtable
FPxisthexcomponentoftheforceexertedontheballbythebilliard
table,atpointP.Thisisafrictionalforce.
FPyistheycomponentoftheforceexertedontheballbythebilliard
table,atpointP.
ByNewton'sSecondLaw,thegeneralforceequationinthexdirectionis:

Where:

misthemassoftheball
aGxistheaccelerationofthecenterofmassinthexdirection
Thisequationbecomes

SinceFPx=0weget

ByNewton'sSecondLaw,thegeneralforceequationintheydirectionis:

whereaGyistheaccelerationofthecenterofmassintheydirection.
SincethebilliardballonlymovesinthexdirectionaGy=0,sotheabove
equationbecomes

Therefore

Wemustnowwritethegeneralmomentequationforrotationofarigid
bodyaboutitscenterofmassG.

Where:
MGisthesumofthemomentsaboutthecenterofmassG
IGisthemomentofinertiaoftheballaboutitscenterofmass,aboutan
axispointingoutofthepage

istheangularaccelerationoftheball
Sincenofrictionalforcedevelopsbetweentheballandtable,thereisno
relativeslippingatpointP.Thismeansthatwehaveacaseofpure
rolling.Thus,wecanwritethefollowing:

Intheaboveequationthenegativesignistheretomatchthesign

conventionusedinthisproblem.
Themomentequationbecomes

Combineequations(1)and(2)andweget

Forasolidsphere

Therefore

ThisistheheighttohittheballsothatnofrictiondevelopsatpointP.No
matterhowhardyouhittheballatthislocation,nofriction(reaction)
forcewilldevelopatpointP.Therefore,purerollingoftheballwill
alwaysresultafterimpact(norelativeslipping).
Inthecaseswherethecuestrikesaboveorbelowthisheighth,frictionis
necessarytopreventtheballfromslippingonthesurfaceofthebilliard
table.Andiftheballishithardenough(aboveorbelowheighth)relative
slippingwilloccur,duetoinsufficientfrictionbetweenballandtable.
Inthecaseswhereslippingoccurswehavethefollowinginequality:

Thismeansthatthereisrelativemotionbetweentheballandbilliard
tableatpointPimmediatelyafterimpact.Inotherwords(immediately
afterimpact),thetangentialvelocityoftheballatpointPisnotequalin
magnitudeandoppositeindirectiontothevelocityofthecenterofmass
oftheballG.
Inthecaseofpurerolling,thetangentialvelocityoftheballatpointPis
equalinmagnitudeandoppositeindirectiontothevelocityofthecenter
ofmassoftheballG.Therefore,thevelocitiescanceloutandthereisno
relativeslippingatpointP.
RelativeSlippingAnalysis
Relativeslippingbetweenballandbilliardtableisaninterestingpointof
analysis.It'sinformativetounderstandhowtheballmovesdependingon
whereitishitrelativetoh.

Considerthefigurebelow.

WhentheballishitsufficientlyhardwithaleftwardforceinregionA1the
ballisgivenaleftwardvelocity,andisgivenabackspinintheCW
direction.RelativeslippingoccursatpointP,andtheresultingfrictional
forceatthislocationispointingright.Theleftwardvelocityoftheball
decreasesanditacceleratestotherightduetothedirectionofthe
frictionalforce.Therateofbackspindecreasesduetothedirectionofthe
frictionalforce.ThisoccursuntilrelativeslippingatpointPstopsand
purerollingoccurs.
WhentheballishitsufficientlyhardwithaleftwardforceinregionA2the
ballisgivenaleftwardvelocity,andisgivenaforwardspinintheCCW
direction.RelativeslippingoccursatpointP,andtheresultingfrictional
forceatthislocationispointingright.Theleftwardvelocityoftheball
decreasesanditacceleratestotherightduetothedirectionofthe
frictionalforce.Therateofforwardspinincreasesduetothedirectionof
thefrictionalforce.ThisoccursuntilrelativeslippingatpointPstopsand
purerollingoccurs.
WhentheballishitsufficientlyhardwithaleftwardforceinregionA3the
ballisgivenaleftwardvelocity,andisgivenaforwardspinintheCCW
direction.RelativeslippingoccursatpointP,andtheresultingfrictional
forceatthislocationispointingleft.Theleftwardvelocityoftheball
increasesanditacceleratestotheleftduetothedirectionofthe
frictionalforce.Therateofforwardspindecreasesduetothedirectionof
thefrictionalforce.ThisoccursuntilrelativeslippingatpointPstopsand
purerollingoccurs.
Thus,thenatureoftheslippingwillchangedependingonwhichofthe
regions,(A1,A2,A3),thecuestickstrikestheball.
Notethatforthethreecasesabove,thefrictionalforcethatdevelopsdue
torelativeslippingisknownaskineticfriction.Kineticfrictionoccurs
whenthereis"rubbing"betweentwosurfaces.Thistypeoffriction
alwaysopposesthedirectionofmotion.Soforexample,ifacrateis
slidingonthefloorintheleftdirection,thekineticfrictionbetweenthe
crateandflooractstotheright.Inthecaseswherewehavethistypeof
frictionyouhavetoaccountforthedirectionofrelativeslippingandthen
assignthedirectionoffrictiontobeintheoppositedirection.
Ontheotherhand,whenthereisnorelativeslippingbetweentwo
surfacesthefrictionalforcebetweenthemisknownasstaticfriction.So
inthegeneralcaseswherethebilliardballexperiencesnorelative
slippingatpointP,wehavestaticfrictionmaintainingpurerolling.
Accountingforstaticfrictiondiffersfromkineticfrictioninthatyoudon't
needtoknowthedirectioninwhichitacts.Thedirectionissolvedforin
thedynamicsequations.Sointhissenseitiseasiertoaccountforstatic
frictionthankineticfriction.
ACloserLookAtRelativeSlipping(optional)

Thisisacontinuationoftheprevioussection,withamoreindepthlook
atrelativeslipping.Thissectionisoptional,soyoumayskipitifyoulike.
Thefigurebelowshowsafreebodydiagramofabilliardball
experiencingageneralcaseofrelativeslipping.

Where:
VGisthevelocityofthecenterofmassoftheball.(Inpracticalterms,
whenonereferstothevelocityoftheballheisreferringtothevelocity
ofthecenterofmassoftheball).
wistheangularvelocityoftheball
Letwirepresenttheinitialangularvelocityoftheballimmediatelyafter
impact.
LetVGirepresenttheinitialvelocityoftheballimmediatelyafterimpact.
WithnolossofgeneralitywecanassumeVGiistotheleft(negative,
accordingtothesignconvention)andwiiseitherCW(negative)orCCW
(positive).
IfthecuestrikestheballinregionA3andrelativeslippingoccurs,then
wir>VGi.
Ifthecuestrikestheballanywherebelowheighthandrelativeslipping
occurs,thenwir<VGi.

Set

Thisisequalto+1or1.Thisfactoraccountsforthedirectionofrelative
slipping,whichisimportanttoknowsincewearedealingwithkinetic
friction.Suchfactorsaremathematicallyveryconvenientwhen
accountingforthedirectionofkineticfriction.(Notethat|x|meansthe
absolutevalueofx).
Frombefore


ThisisthenormalforceactingontheballatpointP.
Thegeneralforceequationinthexdirectionis:

ThekineticfrictionactingatPisgivenby:

wherekisthecoefficientofkineticfrictionbetweentheballandtable.
Now,

Thegeneralmomentequationforrotationofarigidbodyaboutitscenter
ofmassGis:

Thisbecomes

Fromequations(3)and(4)weget:

Thelinearvelocityoftheballis:

wheretistime
Theangularvelocityoftheballis:


Wewishtofindthetimeittakesfortheballtostopslipping,andbegin
purerolling.Thus,usingequations(5)and(6)wecanformulatethe
followingequality,whichholdstruewhenthereispurerolling:

Fromthiswecansolvefortimet.

Forasolidsphere

Therefore

Let'snowfindthedistancetraveledbytheballbeforepurerollingbegins,
usingthetimetfromabove.
Thedistancedis:

Afinalconsiderationisfindingthevelocityoftheballbeforepurerolling
begins.TodothiswecalculatethevelocityVGusingthetimetfrom
above.

Notethattheabovethreeequationsareonlyvalidaslongasthereis
relativeslippingatpointP.
SampleCalculationForRelativeSlipping
Thisisasamplecalculationusingtheresultsoftheprevioussection.
VGi=1m/s(initialleftwardvelocity)

wi=20rad/s(backspin,CWrotation)
r=0.028m
k=0.027
g=9.8m/s2
=1
aGx=0.2646m/s2calculatedfromequation(3)

Thereforethetimeittakestheballtostopslippingis
t=1.68s
Thedistancetraveledbytheballduringslippingis
d=1.31m(theballhastraveledtotheleft)
Thevelocityoftheballjustbeforepurerollingbeginsis
VG=0.55m/s(leftwardvelocity)

ClosingRemarks
Asyoucansee,thephysicsofbilliardscangetprettyinvolvedwhenyou
startconsideringallthethingsthatcanhappeninatypicalgameofpool.
Youcanbetthatprofessionalplayersareveryproficientinthepractical
usageofthephysicspresentedhere,aswellasotheraspectsofthe
gamenotdiscussedhere.

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