background source: http://www.bluebomber.com/japan/
| Introduction | Potential Energy | Direction of Initial Force | Direction of Impact | Pin Action | Sources |
Direction of the Initial Force
For maximum impact, the bowler must release the ball with a force perfectly parallel to the horizon. Since the horizontal velocity is independent of the vertical velocity, any force that is not parallel to the horizon is wasting energy in the vertical direction. Because there is no benefit to bouncing the ball, all energy should be spent in the horizontal direction. The horizontal kinetic energy that remains after the ball has traveled down the lane is the energy that will be used to collide with the pins, so the bowler needs to make it count!