Page 7 - BOLAND NEWSLETTER FINAL

OCTOBER 2022 ISSUE 01 - 2022

THE BIAS - DID YOU KNOW THAT...!? 7

VIEW FROM SIDE EXAGGERATED VIEW FROM BACK
(CIRCULAR) (LOPSIDED OVAL) As the ball slows down
it finds it’s true centre of
LARGE CIRCLE LARGE CIRCLE LINE OF TRUE gravity and curves.
CIRCLES

Direction
of curve
True centre True centre
of gravity of gravity
SMALL DOT
(side is circular
to a true circle)
When travelling at speed, the bowl’s
momentum keeps it in a straight line.

Compared with some sports, lawn The weighting is achieved by shaping According to a bowls science guru,
bowls is usually played in a state of rather than adding mass to the bowl, the energy of a travelling bowl is
calm fairness, but that doesn't mean so that one side is larger - and there- converted into heat, which slightly
there isn't any bias involved. fore heavier - than the other. raises the temperature of the green
under it.
The sport originated in England and This uneven weight distribution
dates back to the 13th century. means the centre of gravity of the As the green absorbs the bowl's
bowl is offset by anywhere between energy, it also acts as a breaking
It derived from boules, a group name 0.75mm and 0.9mm. force, which ultimately stops it.
given to games that involved tossing But more significant is the green How close to the jack, though, is
or rolling weighted balls towards a itself, in particular its retarding force dependent on more than just physics.
target, such as the popular French on the moving bowl. The condition of Successful bowling also needs a few
game petanque. the green - how well manicured it is, intangibles common to a range of

Bowls is played on a rectangular whether it is lush or dry - has a direct sports - a good eye, a dose of luck
and the rub of the green.
grass or synthetic surface. In simple bearing on the amount of friction the
terms, the object of the game is to bowl encounters.
roll your ball, or bowl, as close as The less friction, the faster it will roll,
possible to a small white target called which goes some way to explaining
a jack. why so many bowls end up in the

It sounds easy enough, but the critical deep traps that surround the green.
aspect of the game is that the bowls
are asymmetrically weighted, meaning
they curve to one side while in motion.
This is called the bias, and there is a
great deal of complicated science to it.