The sound shockwave from a cue hit

justnum

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
Cues make a noise when striking the cue ball. Would an improvement be a cue that strikes the cue ball silently.

The idea being energy transfer from stick to cue creates unwanted feedback producing the thud or thwack noise. A current hypothesis among cue designers is swapping materials to eliminate the sound feedback to improve cue striking precision.
 
justnum said:
Cues make a noise when striking the cue ball. Would an improvement be a cue that strikes the cue ball silently.

The idea being energy transfer from stick to cue creates unwanted feedback producing the thud or thwack noise. A current hypothesis among cue designers is swapping materials to eliminate the sound feedback to improve cue striking precision.
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You'll take the ping from my cue over my dead lifeless body. 🤣
 
I was under the impression that deadening the sound you hear would also deaden the energy transfer and potentially prolong tip contact time which might also increase deflection.
 
MattPoland said:
I was under the impression that deadening the sound you hear would also deaden the energy transfer and potentially prolong tip contact time which might also increase deflection.
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The working interpretation is the energy before the hit is pure kinetic, after the hit its transferred to sound and displacement.

Its similar to how engines produce work but at a cost. In this case the cost is the sound.

A more efficient cue machine can theoretically exist.
 
Put Delta 13 leather inserts on the butt to absorb the sound.
 
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GoldCrown said:
Put leather inserts on the butt to absorb the sound.
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I think that's called a "wrap". You can do it with cork, also.

The effect of sound deadening add-ons is negligible as far as energy transfer is concerned. The sound the cue makes after the hit is all wasted energy.
 
justnum said:
The working interpretation is the energy before the hit is pure kinetic, after the hit its transferred to sound and displacement.

Its similar to how engines produce work but at a cost. In this case the cost is the sound.

A more efficient cue machine can theoretically exist.
Click to expand...

This isn't true. You cannot have an impact without sound. High pitched sounds take a lot less energy to produce than low sounds. That is why a ten watt amp can drive tweeters, but any decent subwoofer will require hundreds of watts. No sound would mean that the waves are under twenty hertz, which would take away tons of energy.

Pinging cues are one sign of very high transfer of useful energy.

Sound is simply a byproduct of work. So is heat.

Two billiard balls hitting each other are an extreme example of a high efficiency transfer of energy, the sound is pretty loud and very high frequency.
 
DeeDeeCues said:
This isn't true. You cannot have an impact without sound. High pitched sounds take a lot less energy to produce than low sounds. That is why a ten watt amp can drive tweeters, but any decent subwoofer will require hundreds of watts. No sound would mean that the waves are under twenty hertz, which would take away tons of energy.

Pinging cues are one sign of very high transfer of useful energy.

Sound is simply a byproduct of work. So is heat.

Two billiard balls hitting each other are an extreme example of a high efficiency transfer of energy, the sound is pretty loud and very high frequency.
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Mechanical energy for displacement is not the same as electrical energy performing sound amplification.

Imagine the cueball was held by a vacuum pressure, then the pressure instantly changes direction, would the airflow pressure pushing the cueball cause the same noise?

Edit: Think fastballs, baseball pitchers throw but dont make a sound
when releasing.
 
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Fatboy said:
I think we have hit a new level here……
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No pun? I have concluded the best way to silence racking the balls, having a cue that hits quietly, not hearing the breaking of a 8/9ball game is to STAY HOME. DO NOT PLAY POOL.
I’m going over to a bowling forum. Need to see if there’s a way to quiet the game down.
I wonder what baseball players are using on their batts.
 
Why? What a horrible technological development silent cues would be. The pool balls would still make noise.
What’s the benefit when audible feedback tells you a lot about your stroke? The acoustics associated with
one’s pool stroke is useful information for the trained ear of a seasoned pool player. If you can’t discern the
difference in sounds & significance it is likely due to not paying close attention to the subtlety of playing pool.
 
boogieman said:
You'll take the ping from my cue over my dead lifeless body. 🤣
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I used to have preferences on the sound of the hit. High pitched meant hard and responsive and was preferred over low and thuddy which I would have considered too soft. Now I wear -33db foam plugs and can't really hear the acoustic output of my sticks. Sometimes I forget the earplugs and the acoustic responses and touch kick in - if the music was off and only until it starts.
 
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