Math is hard. I get it!

It can all seem like a jumble of numbers and variables, a never-ending

universe of values and rules. Sometimes you just need something easy that can show you how it
all works. Enter Paper Pool, a fun game that can make ratios and proportions as easy as addition.
To play the game, draw a pool table (a rectangle or a square) on grid paper. Going
counterclockwise, label each corner of the table A, B, C and D. These are your pockets. To play,
hit the ball out of Pocket A at a 45 degree angle. Every time the ball hits the side of a table its
considered a hit. Turn by another 45 degrees and continue the path. Play until the ball lands into
a pocket. In this project, I will explain how this awesome game connects to ratios and
proportions. I will also reveal tricks to help you figure out what pocket the ball will fall into, the
amount of hits it will take to get there and the length of the ball path.
What Pocket Will The Ball Drop Into?
When I was working on this project, many small specific rules that my table and I discovered
led to general rules. For example, we were trying to find a way to predict what pocket the ball
would fall into. I noticed that when the ball was hit an even number of times, it fell into Pocket
C. If it was hit an odd number of times, it would land in Pockets B or D. Sometimes there would
be 11 hits and the ball would land into B, but then another time there would be 11 hits and the
ball would land into Pocket D. Then, my table discovered something. The ball would land in
Pocket D if the dimensions were even x odd and it would land in pocket D if it was odd x even.
This discovery led to our rule.
To determine what pocket the ball will drop in to, look at the dimensions of the pool table. If the
dimensions are even x odd, the ball will fall into Pocket B. If the dimensions are odd x even, it
will land in Pocket D. If the dimensions are odd x odd, it will land into Pocket C*. If the
dimensions are even x even, factor them until they are relatively prime (their only common
factor is one) and then follow the other rules.
*Also, if your table is a square or if one of the dimensions is one, the ball will land in pocket C.
These pool tables do not follow the rules.
Examples:

This is a 2 x 3 pool table. It is even x odd, so the ball will land in Pocket B.

This is a 5 x 4 pool table. It is odd x even, so the ball will land in Pocket D.

This is a 5 x 5 pool table. It is odd x odd, so the ball will land in Pocket C.

This is a 4 x 4 pool table. It is even x even, so the dimensions must be factored until theyre 1 x
1 (relatively prime). 1 x 1 is odd x odd, so the ball will land in Pocket C.

How Many Hits Will It Take?

Finding out how to predict the number of hits was hard! My group made a table organizing the
pool tables data to help us (some of it is below). We noticed that sometimes, you could add the
dimensions and that gave you the number of hits. But other times, the number of hits was half or
even a fourth of the sum of the dimensions. I was so confused!

Table Dimensions

Number of Hits

Pocket

1x2
2x5
8x4
5x6

2
7
3
11

C
B
B
D

Length (diagonal
units)
2
10
8
30

But then, I saw what Cassie was doing with another rule- she was factoring the dimensions until
they were relatively prime. I looked back at the table and I noticed that all of the dimensions that
were relatively prime could be added to find the number of hits!
So, to predict the number of hits it will take for your ball to land into a pocket, factor the
dimensions until they are relatively prime and then add them.
Example:

This is a 6 x 5 table. The dimensions are already relatively prime, so all we have to do is add the
dimensions. 6+5=11, so it will take 11 hits for the ball to drop into a pocket.

How Long Will The Ball Path Be?

Now, predicting the length of the ball path. We noticed that sometimes, the length of the ball
path was a product of the dimensions. But other times, the length of the ball path was half of the
product of the dimensions. After looking at the pool tables more, a rule was developed.
The LCM (least common multiple) of the dimensions will be the length of the ball path.

Example:

This is a 9 x 2 pool table. The LCM of the dimensions is 18, and the lines show that the length of
the ball path (in diagonal units) is 18.

How Paper Pool Connects to Ratios and Proportions

Okay, Paper Pool is already a fun and interesting game- but how does it relate to ratios and
proportions? Well, in most of our rules, you have to factor the dimensions until they are
relatively prime. This is like taking a 2 x 2 pool table and changing it to a 1 x 1 pool table. This
relates to proportion because you are acknowledging that they are equal in a sense, because they
are proportionate to one another. There is a scale factor between them and it goes from 200% to
100%.
In addition, every pool table formed a lattice pattern, which looks kind of like a crisscross. This
relates to ratios and proportions because going from 1 x 1 to 1 x 2 (increasing one dimension by
100%) formed another part of the lattice. The ratios of the dimensions changed and there was no
constant of proportionality, which led to another segment of the pattern to be revealed. Paper
Pool is a great way to demonstrate these aspects of ratios and proportions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Paper Pool is an exciting game that deepened my understanding of ratios and
proportions.
To predict what pocket the ball will fall into, follow this rule:

Dimensions:
even x odd: Pocket B
odd x odd: Pocket C

odd x even: Pocket D

even x even: Factor
until relatively prime, follow other rules

To determine the number of hits it will take to get there, factor the dimensions of the table
until their only common factor is 1 and then add them.
To find the length of the ball path, find the LCM (least common multiple) of the table
dimensions. This is the length (in diagonal units).
This game relates to ratios and proportions in many ways. For example, the forming of the
lattice pattern and factoring down the dimensions is all related to this field of math.
Although it was kind of hard to form these rules, working as a team and organizing the data
made it a lot easier. Overall, Paper Pool was a really awesome project that made math - dare I
say it? - Fun.

Pool Kids on the Block:

An Adventure in Paper Pool

By: Aoife McGuire, Class 710