Was Einstein Right About 6 Million Shots on a Pool Table?

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My guess is Einstein never said anything about 6 million shots. Mathematically, there are infinitely many. In order to come up with a finite number, you have to assume that shots sufficiently close to each other count as the "same shot".

In this case, one way to estimate would be to take the number of distinguishable positions for the cue ball multiplied by the number for the object ball (subtracting the small number of impossible layouts where the object and cue ball positions overlap).

For example, let's say that you consider two positions to be "the same" if they are within an inch of each other. In this case there would be about 9*12 positions along the long rail and 4.5*12 positions along the short rail for a total of 5832 unique ball positions. So that would make for about 34 million different shots. If we also consider reflected positions to be "the same", then we would divide this number by 4 to account for symmetries across either axis. This would leave us with about 8.5 million different shots, close to the supposed Einstein number.

The thing is, moving a ball by a half an inch can change a shot significantly in some cases, whereas in other cases you can move a ball by an inch or more and still have basically "the same shot". Still, this back-of-the-envelope calculation gets pretty close.
 
How many shots do you believe are possible on a pool table and what formula did you use to come up with your estimation?

The formula, set up a couple of APA 3s in a race to three 8 ball. It will take about that many shots to clear three racks.
 
Infinity

There is a straight forward demonstration that shows that a line segment of length one has a distinct point that corresponds to each and every distinct point on a line segment of length two. Therefore, the two line segments, of different lengths, contain exactly the same number of points.

Don
 
You can't step into the same river once.:tongue: :wink:

Well, damn, what the hell did you get me into?
I'm now reading a philosophy forum where some think it's a 'self rebuking' statement,
a paradox,
It's pointed out that not only is the river ever changing, but the 'you' is ever changing.

Some say 'accept the metaphor'...others are saying 'semantics are just pretty words'.

Now you're going to make me ponder and read on this for a month.

If a perfect clone of 'you' was formed to perform the same function, the problem is that
the clone stops being perfect instantly because it acquires a separate experience.
The main component of 'you' is your memory.....
...Memory is the stomach of the soul....St Bernard


Maybe I'll just try a slip stroke...what the hell, it worked for Jimmy Moore.
:confused::eek:
 
Its amazing to me how many idiots are on this forum. There were no calculations. It was just said in passing as a way to express the vast number of possibilities in a game of pool. Think about this...you have been playing pool for 30 years. In that 30 years of breaking, lets say in 9 ball, did the balls land in the same pattern, and in the same positioning. Has it ever happened once? I doubt it.....although nothing is impossible. ...just some things are less likely then others....that's all.

You people are just nuts! Dont you have anything better to do? I've just about had it with the stupid shit! How can something so pointless, and so trivial, go on for over 160 posts?
 
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A shot is between the cue ball and the object ball, it's not complicated.

What does the balls landing in the same pattern have to do with how many shots are possible. A shot is between the cue ball and the object ball, it's not complicated.

To calculate how many shots you need to multiply how many possible places you can hit the cue ball X (times) how many possible shot speeds X (times) number of total angles (this number could be as low as 8) X (times) possible cue angles (this does make the shots react differently).

Again, the table layout after the break is not a "shot" - the only shots we are counting are the ones made up of a cue ball and an object ball.....not the entire table.


Its amazing to me how many idiots are on this forum. There were no calculations. It was just said in passing as a way to express the vast number of possibilities in a game of pool. Think about this...you have been playing pool for 30 years. In that 30 years of breaking, lets say in 9 ball, did the balls land in the same pattern, and in the same positioning. Has it ever happened once? I doubt it.....although nothing is impossible. ...just some things are less likely then others....that's all.

You people are just nuts! Dont you have anything better to do? I've just about had it with the stupid shit! How can something so pointless, and so trivial, go on for over 160 posts?
 
post a link please

I am trying to find out where Einstein said this

Can you please post the link. thanks
 
What does the balls landing in the same pattern have to do with how many shots are possible. A shot is between the cue ball and the object ball, it's not complicated.

But a draw shot is not a follow shot, so you have to throw how the shooter hits it into
the mix.
I'm pretty sure I can use up Naj's 4,000 shots in just one simple straight in with whitey
one foot away.
 
Of course there's more, however the number is not infinite.

You hit a draw shot below center, with a different tip target, cue speed and even cue angle than a "follow shot".

If someone rounded down the formula you could use 8 tip targets, with 8 angles, with 8 shot speeds and 8 cue angles and come up with 4096 possible shots. Of course there's more, however the number is not infinite.


But a draw shot is not a follow shot, so you have to throw how the shooter hits it into
the mix.
I'm pretty sure I can use up Naj's 4,000 shots in just one simple straight in with whitey
one foot away.
 
There will be less number of possible shots to make a ball, as the pocket width allows for a reasonable amount of error for a ball to be pocketed.
The distance the cue ball travels is not relevant.
 
There will be less number of possible shots to make a ball, as the pocket width allows for a reasonable amount of error for a ball to be pocketed.
The distance the cue ball travels is not relevant.

So a shot where the cue ball travels six feet to the object ball is the same as one in which it travels one foot along the same line?
 
There are many examples of pool shots that are safeties.

A pool "Shot" doesn't necessarily pocket a ball.

There are many examples of pool shots that are safeties. A "pool shot" is between the cue ball and object ball, no three way combinations or any examples with multiple object balls.


There will be less number of possible shots to make a ball, as the pocket width allows for a reasonable amount of error for a ball to be pocketed.
The distance the cue ball travels is not relevant.
 
Having a BSEE degree with a lot of math background I would say the number of shot combinations possible on a pool table would only be limited by your imagination. If somebody came up with six million possible shots as Einstein has said I would think somebody could think of another not already thought of. I really think it is limitless. When Einstein said six million shots I think he was just throwing a number out there.
 
still counting, 5,456,567......5,456,458 ----should be there by March

Having a BSEE degree with a lot of math background I would say the number of shot combinations possible on a pool table would only be limited by your imagination. If somebody came up with six million possible shots as Einstein has said I would think somebody could think of another not already thought of. I really think it is limitless. When Einstein said six million shots I think he was just throwing a number out there.

It depends on how we're defining "shot". There is a finite amount of angles, distances and speeds/spins in the game of pool. I don't believe a shot with more than one cue ball and one object ball would be included. imho

I'm still counting, 5,456,567......5,456,458 ----should be there by March. ;)

'The Game is the Teacher'
 
It depends on how we're defining "shot". There is a finite amount of angles, distances and speeds/spins in the game of pool. I don't believe a shot with more than one cue ball and one object ball would be included. imho

I'm still counting, 5,456,567......5,456,458 ----should be there by March. ;)

'The Game is the Teacher'


Hmmm...you and I must define the word "finite" quite differently.
 
I don't know how many there are but I am sure I missed all of them at one time, probably twice, wow that's alot of misses.
 
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