Real-Life Math
If you plan on becoming a professional bowler, math will play a
very big role in your career. Every time you bowl, you use math. But things
get even trickier when you're talking about competitive bowling as a profession.
Former
professional bowler Diana Teeters says making sure your correct
score is marked is very important because it can mean winning or losing more
than the game itself -- it can also mean losing money winnings.
Teeters
says professional bowlers have to be aware of how they're bowling and how
your strikes and spares stack up against your opponent. "Knowing what the
score is allows you to know what you need to win."
Teeters says when
your opponent finishes first and her score is posted, "you can look at your
score and mentally add up what your highest possible score could be and know
whether you have a chance to win and how."
If Teeters was coaching
you in a bowling tournament and the score between you and your opponent was
a difference of more than 10 pins, how would you use math to figure out how
to beat your opponent's current score and give you a tie or lead in the game?
Your
opponent bowled 2 strikes plus knocked down 9 more pins in the following frame.
You have a strike and 2 spares and you're getting ready to bowl your next
frame.
In case you haven't bowled before, here are some bowling basics:
Each
pin in bowling counts as 1 point to your score, EXCEPT when you bowl a spare
(you knock down all 10 pins in 2 consecutive rolls of the ball) or a strike
(you knock down all 10 pins with 1 roll of the ball.) If you score a spare
or a strike, then score as follows:
--Strike = 10 points + total of
pins scored in next 2 rolls of ball.
--Spare = 10 points + total of
pins scored on your next roll of the ball.
|X| = strike
|/ |
= spare
|2/7| = 2 pins fell down on the 1st bowl of the ball, and 7
more fell on the 2nd bowl.
Here are the frames and their
score values:
Your opponent:
|X| |X| |2/7| =
You:
|X|
|8/| |8/| =
Now calculate what you would have to
bowl to outscore your opponent and win the game.