Impact of a cue with a billiard ball

Abstract

Experimental results are presented to show how the speed and spin of a billiard ball vary as the impact point of the cue is varied above and below the center of the ball. The results are compared with a simple impact model to estimate how the normal and tangential impact forces vary with impact location.

Keywords

Center of percussion coefficient of friction grip slip backspin topspin impact model

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bayes

Scott

. Billiard-ball collision experiment. Am J Phys 1963; 31: 197–200.

Alciatore

. Technical publications TP 4.2 Center of percussion of the cue ball, TP A.30 The effect of cue tip offset, cue weight, and cue speed on cue ball speed and spin, TP A.12 The relationship between cue ball spin and cue tip offset, http://billiards.colostate.edu (accessed 5 June 2023).

Cross

. Cue and ball deflection (or “squirt”) in billiards. Am J Phys 2008; 76: 205–212.

Alciatore

. Coriolis was brilliant … but he didn’t have a high-speed camera - Part IV: maximum cue tip offset, http://billiards.colostate.edu (accessed 5 June 2023).