Odd question

markjames

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If there was a table with “infinite” dimensions, how far could a cue ball travel?
 

DelawareDogs

The Double Deuce…
Silver Member
Your question has too many variables to give an answer.

I'll start with an obvious one, how hard did you hit it?
 

DelawareDogs

The Double Deuce…
Silver Member
You must’ve drove your parents nuts when you were a kid....:eek:
...let’s have some parameters

If I'm not mistaken the parameters have been given. Somewhere in the neighborhood of .... infinite by infinite.

But if the dimensions were infinite by infinite, where would the corner be???

I'm no math expert, but if you called a ball in the corner pocket... it would never get there? Or how long would it take to get there?

What are we talking about here?

Can we delete this thread? My head hurts.
 

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If I'm not mistaken the parameters have been given. Somewhere in the neighborhood of .... infinite by infinite.

But if the dimensions were infinite by infinite, where would the corner be???

I'm no math expert, but if you called a ball in the corner pocket... it would never get there? Or how long would it take to get there?

What are we talking about here?

Can we delete this thread? My head hurts.

Here is another question, on an infinite table you would have infinite rails, but also infinite pockets, so does that mean you can never pocket a ball or scratch or does that mean that you will always pocket a ball or scratch or will you never even reach the rails or pockets because the bed surface is also infinite.

And how much would it cost to refelt and level the table? How big of a room do you need to fit the table in? We know the clearance you need, so infinity + 5 feet on either side? Will it fit in an infinite size garage? Will your wife even let you put an infinite size table in the house??? I mean how do you even bring up the topic. "so hon, would it be OK if we moved to a bigger place? I just bought a table and need something more Universe sized to fit it".
 
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DaveM

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
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Are we sure the OP isn't this guy?
 

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markjames

AzB Silver Member
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Let’s say a cue ball is struck by a cue stick at 25mph. Could it travel for example the length of a football field, if there was a football field sized pool table? Furthur?
 

jsp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If there was a table with “infinite” dimensions, how far could a cue ball travel?
If this "infinite" table is perfectly level and absolutely frictionless, then the CB will eventually travel back towards you from the direction you hit it. Actually, it will oscillate back and forth from the point you made contact, for eternity.
 

Bob Jewett

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If there was a table with “infinite” dimensions, how far could a cue ball travel?
There is the story of Titanic Thompson who got a bet down that he could drive a golf ball a thousand or two thousand or five thousand yards on a level surface. He went down to a frozen lake (presumably without a covering of snow). That's a little different but a similar idea.

The speed of a table can be characterized as an equivalent uphill slope. A typical pool table is like a 1% slope. That is, the ball slows as if it is rolling on a frictionless surface but with a 1% incline against the travel of the ball. I like to take the reciprocal of that to get the nominal speed which would be 100. A fast carom table might have a speed of 200 (and a slope of 0.5%).

Given an initial speed, most high school physics students could figure out how far a ball would go on a long-enough table. The upper end of ball speeds is about 35MPH for a break shot and the upper end of table speeds is about 200 (as defined above). From those two numbers the physics proceeds like:

s= 1/2 * v^2 / a

where s is the distance traveled, v is the initial velocity, and a is the acceleration

a = g/200 (0.5% of the acceleration of gravity) = (9.8 m/s/s)/200

v = 35MPH = 15.6 meters per second

s = 1/2 * 15.6 * 15.6 / 9.8 * 200 in meters = 2483 meters

which is a little over a mile and a half.

This does neglect air friction which is significant at 35MPH.
 

Bob Jewett

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25MPH gives 1267 meters or 8 tenths of a mile, again neglecting air friction.

For a typical pool table ("100 speed") cut the distances in half.
 
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Bob Jewett

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Why doesn't a ball go anything like a mile on a real table? The cushions are lousy reflectors. Every time the ball goes fast straight into a cushion it loses over half its speed which means it loses maybe 80% or more of its potential distance (or energy). After going straight up and down the table and hitting the end cushions four times, the ball energy is down by a factor of about 600 and the theoretical remaining rolling distance is under a table length.

I have played on a snooker table on which it was possible to get six lengths without break-shot speed and I've heard of even faster tables. I think that mostly requires sticky cushions.
 

easy-e

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There is the story of Titanic Thompson who got a bet down that he could drive a golf ball a thousand or two thousand or five thousand yards on a level surface. He went down to a frozen lake (presumably without a covering of snow). That's a little different but a similar idea.

The speed of a table can be characterized as an equivalent uphill slope. A typical pool table is like a 1% slope. That is, the ball slows as if it is rolling on a frictionless surface but with a 1% incline against the travel of the ball. I like to take the reciprocal of that to get the nominal speed which would be 100. A fast carom table might have a speed of 200 (and a slope of 0.5%).

Given an initial speed, most high school physics students could figure out how far a ball would go on a long-enough table. The upper end of ball speeds is about 35MPH for a break shot and the upper end of table speeds is about 200 (as defined above). From those two numbers the physics proceeds like:

s= 1/2 * v^2 / a

where s is the distance traveled, v is the initial velocity, and a is the acceleration

a = g/200 (0.5% of the acceleration of gravity) = (9.8 m/s/s)/200

v = 35MPH = 15.6 meters per second

s = 1/2 * 15.6 * 15.6 / 9.8 * 200 in meters = 2483 meters

which is a little over a mile and a half.

This does neglect air friction which is significant at 35MPH.

I concur with the above.
 

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
I concur with the above.

Yeah, right....so we got another AZ member with a 200 IQ....:rolleyes:

I calculate that if you’re playing bar table conditions.....17 feet is the top end distance.

And if the table is infinite, how would you ever know if the seller didn’t deliver a shorter table?
 

dvs

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If it's infinite where do you stand to take a shot

Are we there yet????
 
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