At bowling practice the other day, I noticed a few interesting, physics-related things about the sport. I always wondered why the lanes were so oily; my favorite coach, Coach Alan explained that the oil "speeds up the ball." He was incorrect. The oil actually reduces friction between the ball and the wooded surface, so the ball can just maintain its initial velocity provided by our arms. If you notice in the video below of our best bowler, Adrian, his ball travels down the lane at a near-constant velocity: about 15 miles per hour (displayed on the monitors). By enabling the ball to travel at a near-constant velocity, the oil makes bowling much easier. I'll never complain about oily hands after bowling again.
Adrian's victory dance; notice our beloved Coach Alan standing nearby
I hope that if I apply my knowledge of physics to more aspects of bowling, our bowling team can reach new levels of greatness.
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| The motto of 'Iolani JV Red bowling |
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