4 Types of Bowling Balls

There are four basic makes of bowling balls: urethane, reactive resin, particle, and plastic, Urethane and plastic balls are the most commonly used bowling balls today. Although all bowling balls are round, each make has unique traits and a distinct feel.


Center of Gravity

•  Controls about 5-10% of the balls reaction.
•  Denoted by a small mark and the symbol CG on the ball.
•  Balls has an extra weight at the CG to make the finger holes.

Pin

•  Represent where the center of the core is at.
•  Controls what the ball does the first 40ft of the lane.
     •  High
        •  The higher is placed the longer the ball goes before it changes direction.
     •  Low
         •  The lower is placed the earlier the ball changes direction
     • Pin towards the Positive Axis Point n
     • Visit this website to view the effect of the pin:
           http://www.freeonlinegames.com/play/112.html


Locator Pin

•  By putting the Pin 3 3/8” from the Positive Axis Point offer maximum length and maximum backend resulting in the strongest possible ball reaction.

Gravitational Potential Energy

When rolling the balls down a 10ft incline, at an angle of 18.2º:


Watch Video (3.2 Mb)

Ball 1 – 14-Lbs Purple Ball
Ball 2 – 16-Lbs Black Curve Ball
Ball 3 – 16-Lbs Blue Strait Ball
Roll
Time (sec)
Roll
Time (sec)
Roll
Time (sec)
Roll 1
1.42
Roll 1
1.44
Roll 1
1.46
Roll 2
1.46
Roll 2
1.46
Roll 2
1.46
Roll 3
1.46
Roll 3
1.46
Roll 3
1.46
Roll 4
1.46
Roll 4
1.44
Roll 4
1.48
Roll 5
1.46
Roll 5
1.46
Roll 5
1.46

 

Speed

Ball 1 – 14-Lbs Purple Ball
Ball 2 – 16-Lbs Black Curve Ball
Ball 3 – 16-Lbs Blue Strait Ball
Roll
Speed (m/s)
V=
∆x/ ∆t 
Roll
Speed (m/s)
V=
∆x/ ∆t   
Roll
Speed (m/s)
V=
∆x/ ∆t   
Roll 1
2.15
Roll 1
2.12
Roll 1
2.09
Roll 2
2.09
Roll 2
2.09
Roll 2
2.09
Roll 3
2.09
Roll 3
2.09
Roll 3
2.09
Roll 4
2.09
Roll 4
2.12
Roll 4
2.06
Roll 5
2.09
Roll 5
2.09
Roll 5
2.09