Pool Table Physics with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dr. Dave Alciatore

What was Coriolis, of the famous Coriolis Effect, doing at the pool table? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice explore the science behind billiards and pool trick shots with billiard physicist Dr. Dave Alciatore.
Discover the history of billiards as we find the science hidden in this parlor sport. How did this game of the French aristocrats become what it is today? Did Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis play pool? Learn about the Coriolis Effect and why the famous scientist was so interested in pool. Can you make a machine to play the perfect billiard game? We break down parabolic paths: does it work the same when the plane is horizontal? We discuss differential equations and how to get the perfect Massé shot to go around your opponent’s ball.
How do you get a ball to jump legally? Is scooping allowed? Find out how to hit the ball with a pool cue to achieve different results. How does friction, gravity, and spin factor in? Does chalking the end of your cue really help you shoot? How have billiard sets changed in their materials over the years? We break down what Chuck’s record is around the pool table. Will this lesson help him catch a break? English, Squirt, Throw. Find out what all this means and more as we take a deep dive into billiards!
Thanks to our Patrons Dylan Elliot, Cody Swayze, Panda Man, Niklas Ekberg, Isaac Lambert, Fortune’s Flavor, and Joshua Grose for supporting us this week.
NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.
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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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[@neuvocastezero1838]

Dr. Dave offers probably the best and most comprehensive instructional pool videos on KZbin.

[@stringlarson1247]

I just found his channel. By far the best.

[@feldman888]

Albert Einsteins comment on pool-billiards "Billiards is the well-developed Art of thinking ahead. It is not only a game, but first and foremost a demanding Sport, which requires good stamina, the logical thinking of a chess player and the stable hand of a concert pianist."

[@rocketRobScott]

It would be cool to have a 9-ball set with the 8 planets, and the sun being the 9. You start with the outermost planet and work your way in to complete the game. Of course, the game is over whenever the sun goes down. :)

[@rocketRobScott]

The cue ball could be designed like the cosmos ship. Chrome.

[@OhAncientOne]

I like the cue ball as Haley's Comet

[@rocketRobScott]

@@OhAncientOne cool handle there, is it a Dr. Strange reference?

[@OhAncientOne]

@@rocketRobScott Thank You! nope, just realized I may be a very old soul, with experiences, that well, no one else has. Because of this I am hoping I can help some. - Rocket Bob - awesome handle too!

[@darrylcoan8452]

This is brilliant. I’d own that…. If I had the spacetime.

[@synchro-dentally1965]

Dr. Dave is an excellent professor. I was fortunate enough to have taken 3 of his courses.

[@boredom1000]

Go Rams!

[@alexlarson2466]

Meekrob!!

[@jasonnieuwenhuis335]

I’m a pool player for decades, Dr Dave represented the pool community beautifully. He’s the perfect rep to send to star talk for sure!

[@allmightjunior6917]

This was a blast .. dr. Dave is so funny and passionate about the topic .. i wish he comes back to the show

[@Sinister25031]

Worlds collide. I’ve seen hundreds of Dave videos and I’ve been watching star talk for years. This is just. Beautiful. No other way to describe it.

[@crontemisto8994]

Best sports edition topic so far! I have heard pool technique is "just physics" but this is the first real rundown I have seen of said physics. Thanks, all.

[@diegofernandez4789]

Man, this episode was great! I wish it lasted longer. This guy Dave is awesome, you should invite him often as he knows not only pool but everything around it.

[@vcoolpool]

I've watching Dr Dave for years. He's improved my pool game so much. Really glad to see him on Star Talk!

[@JeremiahTate]

Love the diversity of topics on this channel. Keep it up Neil!

[@paulvamos7319]

I really hope they do one on the Lucy mission to Jupiter that launched yesterday!

[@nigelleyland166]

Demonstrating that pysics applies to everything!

[@waynewynnx7976]

Wow didn't expect to see you here Dr Dave! I've learned so much more about pool since following your channel years ago and greatly improved my plays. What a surprise and great collab for this episode of Startalk on billiards.

[@TheOicyu812]

If Carl Sagan had written a book about playing pool it would have been titled "Billiards & Billiards".

[@rocketRobScott]

This is an under-appreciated comment!

[@Games_and_Music]

The Pale Blue Dot: how chalk changed billiards. (as the blue chalk leaves a faint dot on the ball)

[@timothylunde]

That's the cleverist comment. Ever.

[@HarryNicNicholas]

billiards upon billiards. sorry.

[@ryanbaker7404]

Golf clap. Well played, sir, well played.

[@alexlarson2466]

I'm a Mechanical Engineer and was trained at CSU. I took 2 classes from Dr Dave, my freshman intro course and Mechatronics. The man teaches like this, just genius physics speak. I know one thing. He likes Differential Equations and they have many applications from billiards to jet engines to automobile differential helical gears.

[@milesanderson301]

Dr. Dave has the most informative billiards videos online. Thank you for this!

[@seamusmcfadden994]

I'VE WAITED MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS EPISODE!!!!!! LOL I LUUUUV EVERYTHING POOL RELATED!😍😍👍🎱

[@greymoonz1]

wat

[@thepoolstatguy]

same. i was quite excited when i saw on my channels feed

[@jaroslavcech225]

I feel you man!

[@khaldrogo1782]

I had to stop what I was doing. Chuck is around and I'm good.

[@Atmanyatri]

What a guest dr Dave very funny and informative, amazing episode

[@justinbrown5220]

Man, I was really looking forward to this interview. It would have been amazing if they would have let dr. Dave finish a complete thought without the interruption of the same, repetitive, played out antidote about losing money playing pool :/ I’ve been following dr Dave for for the past 7 years or so and have leaned a wealth of knowledge about the mechanics of the game from him. This episode could have been so much better if they’d just let him fully answer a question.

[@ryanbaker7404]

I’m 44 and I grew up with a billiards table in the home, so I’m really pleased to see this episode! It’s the first time I have heard the term “the leave” however. We always called it “playing shape.” As in you have to shape your shots so that each successive shot is shaped nicely. Great topic, guys!

[@dorelcodrutpatrasca2993]

Dave is so funny, I laugh out loud listening to all of you, hope you will have Dave again on this show.

[@DaneliusUK]

Enjoyed it, thank you. Nice one Dr. Dave, it was a pleasant surprise to see you on an episode of StarTalk. Great communicator and passion as always.

[@bird80]

This episode was so much fun! I laughed the whole time. I love Star Talk and I’m also an avid pool player. So cool to see Dr Dave on the show. 👍

[@RichardsWorld]

I learned most of all of this reading books, but watching it in video from people like Dr Dave is really good. Dr Dave likes to prove or demonstrate what he is teaching about. There is actually a lot more to consider in pool. One big factor in pool is humidity. If a room is humid the cloth absorbs the moisture and changes things quite a bit. The moisture changes the friction of the cloth, rolling resistance, effects how the balls angle off of the rails, etc, etc. And modern tables that are used in major competitions are coming with smaller and smaller pockets. Pro players will talk about a lot of people in the room change the humidity and effects play. The pros must be quite sensitive to this.

[@thecellhawk]

Chuck and Dr. Dave are awesome in this one.

[@jfreshh330]

The guest was great bring him back!!

[@ethanambrose192]

Well technically anything can be a topic on this channel, as physics involves everything we see and know.

[@okaydetar821]

Physics of the holocaust with Neil deGrasse Tyson

[@andy-v]

I'd like to see the physics of eating shrooms, meeting aliens and a hearing colours.

[@solotrotrotro2530]

@@andy-v eating shooms = gravity = einstein / meeting aliens = action x reaction = newton / hearing colours = quantum mechanics = planck............of course this was a joke, didn't you notice? since it is possible to eat mushrooms or anything upside down or in zero gravity.....but the point I want to make is: and remember that we are talking about real things and absolute truths and not ideologies and abstract concepts as you mentioned. It really all depends on the depth with which you approach the subject, and today the evidence points to that human thought, the behavior of neurons and even the origin of consciousness, obey the laws of quantum physics at its most fundamental level(particles)... of course there's still a lot of debate behind the thing, but we haven't found any evidence so far to think it would be any different. so ultimately, it's all about physics, including the source of the thoughts everybody having right now!

[@zapazap]

Chess? Number Theory? Jurisprudence? Monetary Policy?

[@davidcox12317]

What about ideological constructs they exist in the realm of the human mind so they can be known but not abide by the laws of physics or even some forms of entertainment like video games and movies because they create their own physics for special affects to make the movies or video games look cooler but yet we can still known about them. And not to mention we can also see them.

[@benclarke6919]

Brilliant show. Never thought I would see two of my favourite things in the same podcast. Pool and science. Well played gents well played

[@MrBonners]

heavy use of skip ahead required. extreme long interruptions , guest can't get a word in even sideways.

[@emmanuelramos1981]

You guys are awesome!! I wish I could play like my pops used to .. love the show

[@jbmorrison1]

Great content. I’ve always like Dr Dave’s videos. Please consider having him back on your show.

[@rd2672]

I was wanting for Dr Dave to talk about skid but he didn't. Every time you play a bank shot the Q ball or the object ball skids a little when striking the cushion. This effect is magnified the more cushions the Q ball or object ball strike. Great interview. Dr Dave is a fascinating guy. His videos are extremely well laid out and very informative

[@r.a.monigold9789]

Deep end of THAT pool. NICE ! Thanks for the laughs, the learning and sharing.

[@rezadaneshi]

Finally. Kind of physics I can understand. Big banks

[@PaleRider54]

I've always considered a pool table to be a great teaching tool for physics and geometry.

[@steve-o6413]

Gravimentrial tool on a lineal scale, for us Mortals who have to live on this Planet lol...

[@timothylunde]

In HS we photographed billiard balla to measure collisions, transfer of energy and deceleration. Had to use a strobe light and Polaroid. Pretty cool to engage us kids with tangible props.

[@rondo1775]

Been a huge fan of Dr. Dave for years. Thanks for having him on your show.

[@michaelbuchanan4802]

Great to see Dr. Dave here.

[@robertobrenes5283]

As a pool/billiards player I was waiting for this!!!

[@patrickwalsh2361]

That was a really AWESOME talk with Dr Neil, Gary, Dr Dave and Chuck cracked some good ones too! My frisbee-dog Luna also incorporates the Coriolis force when tracking the throws she catches. She’s available as a future guest if you’re interested!

[@paulcadogan4940]

Snooker players take these physics to a whole new level

[@snookershorts3044]

3cushions players take thede physucs to god level check that out

[@omarofuae]

When I saw the name I was surprised, but it is the same Alciatore. Great professor.

[@donaldcarpenter5328]

I can NEVER get "enough" of Neil de Grasse Tyson. He has a way of presenting "brainy" stuff w/o leaving his audience like he was talking down to them.

[@carytodd7211]

Awesome show! Just bought Dr. Dave's book.

[@adrees]

I love pool and I’m so psyched about this in depth pool school 😎

[@sapelesteve]

Terrific video Neil & guests! Always loved playing pool, which I consider a really tough game to get good at. When the movie the Hustler was mentioned, I am surprised that no one mentioned Jackie Gleason who was an incredible pool player. In fact, he made most of the difficult shots himself! Anyway, perhaps Neil will do another video about the game of Bowling. Now that would be really interesting....

[@steve-o6413]

Minnesota Fat's I believe you're talking about, Jackie Gleason's side kick Ed Norton could have been another Pool Hall Hustle. Yes..?

[@maninthemiddleground2316]

Been watching Dr Dave since 2006 … so surprised that I’m one of the early viewers 😀👍

[@tylerelliott1107]

Dr.Dave is the best, get your game up best star talk ever!!!

[@yourlegalgrandfather88]

I've seen Dr. Dave's machine design course make grown men cry. Absolute legend.

[@geeman509]

great stuff guys, thanks for this!

[@cutiepiezcontarria13]

Love this show and this is a cool episode!

[@jackstraw8786]

This one is amazing, can we do top fuel dragsters next?

[@nixovillie1718]

Let the man talk!

[@TellyBuhay]

I was half expecting clips of Efren Bata Reyes tricky shots while they're discussing sing the topic. Would be really nice though.

[@MitzvosGolem1]

He is the King...

[@michaels.chupka9411]

standing ovation. great episode.

[@JesseJOSmith]

I kinda hate that you had to end this one! It was such a good episode!

[@epic_wagon9249]

This was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be

[@khelcross]

Thank you for this topic. You guys are amazing.

[@technician0096]

Yes! I love playing Billards Pool! I was in league for bit. I mean I’m not amazing at it, but I’m definitely not horrible at it either. 😅

[@kbreaux1224]

Dr. Dave is great! Bring him back soon. klb

[@deewhy04]

This was awesome to watch

[@danielludlow8960]

I laughed hard during this episode...AWESOME stuff guys!

[@heydudewhatsup]

Dr Dave was my Mechatronics teacher at CSU!

[@fixitrod4969]

Dr Dave is amazing!

[@XxTheAwokenOnexX]

Billiards, snooker, and pool is a science unto itself lolz

[@steve-o6413]

It's all about Geometry and the Knowing...

[@SO3rl]

Great guest!

[@thacasualpoolplaya]

what a great episode, definitely deserves a revisit with a Dr. Dave return to elaborate or even touch on more subjects about the game. Pool is such an intricate game compared to many other sports and it's quite sad that the sporting committee still refuses to acknowledge this beautiful game as a sport. Thank you all for bringing light and eyes to my beloved game.

[@guillermonassercibils6538]

Dr. Dave you are awesome

[@V1RU5420]

Regarding the shot making, watch "things done here" video on his auto aiming queue. It's absurdly good

[@onepocket7101]

Dr Dave is a shining star.

[@RetNemmoc555]

I read a book by Minnesota Fats called "The Bank Shot and Other Great Robberies" years ago, and gleaned enough from the book to inspire me to pay more attention to my game.

[@steve-o6413]

I thought it was called the contender...

[@suewoo5]

Do a follow up episode where you guys discuss examples and show pros doing it in games. Pplneed to see how hard and beautiful this game is

[@webbtrekker534]

How about a look at the planet size pool game in the TV show "Red Dwarf"? Also, submarines are a constant operation of physics in action!

[@leomartin1603]

That's incredible...I wish I could truly understand WHAT they were talking about.

[@jerroneous8549]

Great as always! Why does Dr. Dave remind me of a Beastie Boy? Must be the track suit

[@hacurass7159]

One of the greates startalk episodes

[@enterthecarp7085]

Sweet home Fort Collins! QUESTION: Is billiards different 1 mile high vs. sea level? Thanks

[@thedondeluxe6941]

This whole conversation reminds me of that time Lister played pool with planets in Red Dwarf and had to get "nicely drunk" first to find his form. Funny episode!

[@JohnDoe-jh5yr]

There were at least two times during the interview that a tangent never allowed Dr. Dave to finish the question before Neil was on to something else. I have to echo so many comments here that it was irritating.

[@KiingDa3rd]

Great video

[@josephturner6440]

'The white ball is still in control tho' 🤣 that was great chuck 👍

[@rbee6507]

"We have a line of fine steaks that we offer as well". "We can call that woke 8-ball" Giving Neil a hard time about Pluto. Not to mention everyone else. How are they this amazing at comedy and even greater at science!? 😄😄😄 Doctor Dave is an absolute legend! We must protect the STEM academic/practicing fellows/leaders at all costs.

[@Gleem]

35:00 NGT "We could just swap them" = Sorry they have different weights to help the table determine which end it will come out of. Agree though they should swap it.

[@mr.s1961]

Best. Show. EVER.

[@DaBlondDude]

"Woke 8-ball" 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣. This guy is hilarious, quick and obviously, geekily enthusiastically passionate about his field

[@cosmicraysshotsintothelight]

I woke up... kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaOXlp2cl89sY5Y

[@peteregan9750]

the variables come in to play, chalk/ wear on the tip of cue/wear on the table/type of cue...

[@wraithflaire1639]

When did they make the conversion from lawn mallets to cue pool?

[@Sgt-Gravy]

POOLHALL JUNKIES! a great movie about pool.

[@braywell]

Anyone else pickin up on how disrespectful Neil was getting towards Chuck? Seems like its becoming more prominent lately. #respect to Chuck for handling it like an absolute unit

[@madebydimiakagreekmachine5822]

What are u talking about that’s how it always is

[@HarryNicNicholas]

interesting to hear about how pool evolved, how the table originally only had one leg and a monochromatic hole.

[@JohnyG29]

Billiards is a very uncommon game in the UK, where we mainly play Snooker or Pool. I wonder why it's so popular in the US.

[@chriscripplercruz1833]

Wowsers as a lover of your channel and learning from you and being a pool player I loved this video definitely my favorite ever thanks a lot Neal for this gem and One Pocket is the greatest billiards game ever invented it's the number one game in Derby city and the US open now more players in that tournament than 9 ball and 10 ball respectfully. Be awesome if you had Efren Reyes in the video the greatest player in history

[@thepoolstatguy]

im glad you are excited like i am😂ive been listening to star talk for years and was quite excited when i saw this today

[@steve-o6413]

Do the names of Fast Eddie and Minnesota Fat's, bring back any nostalgic too you, if not I'm sure you don't remember the Honeymooners on the Jackie Gleason show...

[@chriscripplercruz1833]

@@steve-o6413 yes and a lot of people don't know that The Color of Money is the sequel to the Hustler

[@stevenwymor1398]

You need to do the physics of baseball. Look at a book by Robert K. Adair entitled, wait for it…The Physics of Baseball. It’s been out since 1990 and is a good primer. But I’d love to get your take on it and how the application of physics to baseball in a more scientific way has changed the game, not just in terms of how it’s played but also as to how stadiums are constructed.

[@stephenhammond6962]

Best video yet!!! So good! So much information relating to everyday life!!! 👍

[@nHans]

More engineering, yessss 👍! I studied Mechanical Engineering in college, and this video was highly enjoyable! Only, I gotta be careful not to relive the trauma I suffered studying certain courses. In particular, _Kinematics of Rigid Bodies._ I still get nightmares about Euler angles and the moment of inertia tensor! 😱 (Another was _Fluid Mechanics._ Try as I might, I just wasn't able to solve the Navier-Stokes Equation. Even today I can't.)

[@nobodyknows3180]

For me it was Diff Eq

[@jnelson7360]

Interesting how highly intelligent yet inexperienced hosts delight in exhibiting their ignorance while depriving the viewer of the expertise of those who actually know the topic at hand. Though Tyson is one of my favorite in most settings, here, he and his relatively ignorant companion would best have simply shut up and let the experts elucidate.

[@kylewilliams4398]

I love pool

[@user-zl7vu6kp9h]

Always a laugh joining your channel 😂❤✌🏻

[@jeremyswalley8625]

Don’t forget about the little tool that’s basically a tip file but by roughing up the tip a little allows it to hold chalk better.

[@NuubiKakku]

34:15 also snooker, but the black ball is also the most valuable one

[@jprice3064]

Can someone please tell me what episode did they talk about Simpson’s science and math.