Kinematics bowling ball problem

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The problem involves kinematics, specifically the motion of a bowling ball traveling down a lane and the subsequent sound of the ball hitting the pins. The scenario includes calculating the speed of the ball based on the total time taken for the ball to reach the pins and for the sound to travel back to the bowler.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster seeks guidance on how to relate the speed of sound and the time taken for the ball to travel the distance to the pins. Some participants outline equations involving the total time and the distances traveled by both the ball and the sound.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively discussing the relationships between the time variables and the distances involved. Some have provided equations and reasoning, while others have confirmed the validity of the approach. There is a general sense of progress, but no explicit consensus has been reached on the final calculation.

Contextual Notes

The discussion is constrained by the need to accurately account for the time taken by both the ball and the sound, as well as the assumption that the speed of sound is constant. There are also references to potential typos in the equations presented.

physicsss
Messages
319
Reaction score
0
a bowling ball traveling with constant speed hits the pins at the end of a bowling lane 10 m long. The bowler hears the sound of the ball hitting the pins 3 sec after the ball is released from his hands. What is the speed of the ball? (Speed of sound is 340 m/s)

Can someone give me a hint? I know it involves d=v*t, but I don't know how I can use the speed of sound and the time when the ball hits the pins besides finding the distance the ball traveled...

thanks in advance
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
The total time between releasing the ball and hearing the sound of the ball hitting the pin is given as 3 seconds. This time, T, is the sum of t1, the time it takes the bowling ball to go down the lane, and t2, the time it takes for the sound to travel 10m. (T = t1 + t2) for t2, v = a = d/t2, where a is the speed of sound and d is 10 m. The same equation goes for t1: vball = d/t1. (the speed of the ball is unknown) To put it all together, solve for t1 and t2 and plug back into the first equation I wrote. I hope that helps.
 
Last edited:
tell me if I'm on the right track...

3=t1+t2
3=t1+(d/v)
3=t1+10/340
t1=2.97

d=vt
10=v*2.97
v=3.4 <-velocity of the ball
 
Last edited:
Looks good except for the second line, which looks like a typo. Speaking of which, I had a typo in my original post (fixed now, sorry about that). Anyway, good job.
 
Fixed, and thank you so much for the help.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
5K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
4K
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
4K
Replies
8
Views
5K
Replies
3
Views
33K
Replies
5
Views
10K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
7K
Replies
14
Views
4K