Using physics simulations to find targeting strategies in competitive tenpin bowling

Abstract

A new approach to finding the ideal location for a bowler to target on a bowling lane is demonstrated. To model bowling ball behavior, a system of six coupled differential equations is derived using Euler’s equations for a rotating rigid body. The numerical solution to the equations of motion shows the path of the ball on the lane, demonstrates the phases of ball motion, and is ultimately used to output a plot that displays the optimal initial conditions for the shot trajectory that leads to a strike for a typical competitive bowler. When the bowler is modeled to be imperfect and some variance is included into the shot trajectory, it is shown that some targeting strategies lead to higher strike rates due to the “miss room” created from the inhomogeneity of the friction surface that results from the oil pattern.