Originally Posted By: Bill S.
This brings us back to the original question: if the kinetic energy of the cue ball is determined by its mass and speed, why would it impart a greater percentage of that energy to the object ball some times, rather than others, at any given speed?

You are forgetting rotation, which carries its own energy in addition to Ek=0.5*mv2

I would suspect that the "kick" you describe is most likely a result of the cueball having a high degree of rotation, in the same direction as its direction of travel. In both snooker and pool its common to give the cueball back or forward spin, in order to alter the behavior of the cueball and the ball being struck. By "spin" I mean rotation aside from the normal rolling motion of a ball.

Bryan

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