Geomtry or Physics, what's more important?

Pangit

Pangit

Banned
Geometry or Physics, what's more important?

Geometry is the foundation of the game...every shot. But to go to the next level you have to have an understanding of pool table Physics. Maybe not in the classroom...but on the pool table for sure. Throw, spin on the white ball/as well as what it imparts on the object ball...all sort's of variables.
 
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The most important thing to understand in life is that the word 'or' is quite possibly the most offensive word in the entire language.
 
I'm in the middle here...both are just as important as the other. Physics will change the geometry of any shot. And if your geometry isn't correct, within reason, physics won't matter...although you can change the geometry with some physics. You have to consider both in every shot.

Think about it...Ken
 
I'm going to go with physics.

Geometry is the simple lining up of the balls,

Physics adds the dimension of spin (top/bottom, left/right) to the whole shooting match. This spin effect changes how geometry works (spin induced throw, spin transfer on rails) and thus where both balls end up.

Massé would be impossible with geometry only pool universe.
 
Funny, I was just having a debate with a friend the other day about this... he insists that geometry is pointless and only physics matters in the end.

However, I don't understand why it has to be a case of either-or. The game requires an understanding of both geometry and physics. Physics is the foundation of the universe while geometry is a tool merely used to quantify physical phenomenon. It's a branch of mathematics and by itself it may be meaningless (after all, it's just a tool for measurement), but without it physics would be a rather abstract concept to the average person.
 
Pangit said:
Gemomtry is the foundation of the game...every shot. But to go to the next level you have to have an undertanding of pool table Physics. Maybe not in the classroom...but on the pool table for sure. Throw, spin on the white ball/as well as what it imparts on the object ball...all sort's of varibles.
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Physiology.
 
Patrick Johnson said:
Psychiatry.

pj
chgo
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This may be more true than you intended.

Why do we 'game' at all?
What purpose do they serve other than domination rituals and mental masturbation?

What's most important is understanding the true nature of how you feel, why you do what you do, and lastly, physics -how to do what you do.

I say this because many people don't take the time to stop and think about why and how it is that they came to love, or perhaps even became addicted to, cue games.

Humans have a burning desire to organize, categorize and analyze everything they come in contact with, because we also have a built-in need to understand and control the world around us as much as possible, sometimes to the point of obsession.

What's interesting about our 'obsession', is the fact that humans have turned their quest for 'control' into a series of mind bending 'games', not just to test or challenge himself, but as yet another means of portraying the age-old male domination ritual. (Two rams butt heads until one gives up or dies, and the 'better' ram gets the girl.)

So maybe before asking how you feel about geometry, ask yourself how you feel about the burning quest for control...

In the competitive games we play, like pool, baseball, golf, basketball etc., its not actually about 'the ball' at all. The ball is just a medium, like paint, to act as a visible physical representation of the energy you are manipulating. Whether shooting a pool ball, or whacking a golf ball, you are actually there to demonstrate that you understand, and can control the elements with a level of precision better than the next guy.
 
Mr. Bond said:
What's interesting about our 'obsession', is the fact that humans have turned their quest for 'control' into a series of mind bending 'games', not just to test or challenge himself, but as yet another means of portraying the age-old male domination ritual. (Two rams butt heads until one gives up or dies, and the 'better' ram gets the girl.)

So maybe before asking how you feel about geometry, ask yourself how you feel about the burning quest for control...

In the competitive games we play, like pool, baseball, golf, basketball etc., its not actually about 'the ball' at all. The ball is just a medium, like paint, to act as a visible physical representation of the energy you are manipulating. Whether shooting a pool ball, or whacking a golf ball, you are actually there to demonstrate that you understand, and can control the elements with a level of precision better than the next guy.
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I study sociology and this is on par with my view too, but you put it so eloquently!
 
Geometry.

The game's foundation lies in geometry. Without a basic understanding of geometry, the paths required of cue balls and object balls are not easily deducible. Physics greatly enhances our understanding of the fact that other variables, such as sidespin, throw, swerve, masse, drag, friction, etc., explain why geometry is no more than the foundation of the game.

Still, one can succeed at pool with no more than a geometric understanding of the game, leaving the rest of pool's variables to be observed and applied through experience. I highly doubt one could succeed having a physics-based knowledge of the game as their foundation for learning.

Pool's literature drives this point home, focusing far more on the game's gemetry than its physics.
 
I recall in high school my science teacher claiming he could beat me at pool by applying geometry. I told him to bring the deed to his house.

Pool may have helped me understand a bit about geometry and physics, but the study of neither ever helped me one iota with my pool game.

SOCATOA!!
 
Arithmetic...if you aren't counting the Benjamin's, what's the point!

...and for the real gambler...Multiplication! Double or nothing?
 
Mr. Bond said:
This may be more true than you intended.

Why do we 'game' at all?
What purpose do they serve other than domination rituals and mental masturbation?
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Got to agree, it's a beautifully composed comment. But I have to ask...is 'mental masturbation' your own terminology or out of a textbook? I've never heard it before. It genuinely made me double take.

Does the question not presume that domination rituals did not derive from some other inherent human desire? Or is this post (or any subsequent reply) just another derivative of the ritual? Sometimes the right answer is to pretend you didn't hear the question.

I like physics.
 
30REBORNFAN said:
Got to agree, it's a beautifully composed comment. But I have to ask...is 'mental masturbation' your own terminology or out of a textbook? I've never heard it before. It genuinely made me double take.

Does the question not presume that domination rituals did not derive from some other inherent human desire? Or is this post (or any subsequent reply) just another derivative of the ritual? Sometimes the right answer is to pretend you didn't hear the question.

I like physics.
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Some things just don't have direct answers, or have different answer for different people. In some cases, people reflect their own desires and beliefs onto the answer that they're looking for, as that's what makes sense to them. I agree with the last part, in a way, since breaking something down to understand it may result in also breaking down it's attractiveness.

Geometry is fine for lines and graphs, but has virtually no impact at the table. Physics can explain it all, from the angles resulting in pocketing, to the speed and spins required for the leaves from the rails. What does Pythagorean's Theorem have to do with a straight-back bank with a leave on an opposite rail? Geometry may help build the table, but it is physics that puts the game in motion.

Sexual undertones and dominance.. Freud was a bit of nutjob, ya know.
 
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