Bowling frames: Paths of a bowling ball Available to Purchase

We consider a bowling ball which starts with arbitrary linear and angular velocity and for which the coefficient of kinetic friction is assumed to be constant. We solve the resulting equations in closed form as well as suggest a geometrical construction of the path which may be qualitatively useful. We also numerically evaluate several parameters of the path for typical initial conditions. We find that the description of the problem is greatly simplified by using a coordinate system which is rotated with respect to the bowling alley by an angle which depends on the initial conditions. The ball describes a parabolic path up to a certain characteristic time (which we calculate), and then it rolls without slipping in a straight line. We contrast this solution with some of the folklore of bowling as it relates to ’’hooks.’’