Pool Table Geometry

Use sheets of graph paper to explore pool tables of various dimensions. Try to gather enough information to answer the following question:

Can you predict the number of squares that a ball will pass through?

A pool table might look like the following (the black line indicates the path of the ball):

Note: the path of the ball is always at a 45 degree angle to the side of the table. The ball stops when it goes into a pocket, which are only corners. In the example above, the ball would pass through 6 squares. As you gather the information, look for patterns which work sometimes, but try to find one which works all the time. You could record your information in the table below:

Bottom Edge	Side Edge	Square passed through	Pocket the ball entered