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{{Redirect|Cue ball|the video game|Jimmy White's 2: Cueball|things called "Q-ball"|Q-ball (disambiguation)}}
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A '''billiard ball''' is a small, hard [[ball]] used in [[cue sports]], such as [[carom billiards]], [[
==History==
[[File:US114945 - Patents for Injection Moulding by John Wesley Hyatt (Diagram 1).png|thumb|[[John Wesley Hyatt|Hyatt]]'s celluloid ball patent (1871)]]
Early balls were made of various materials, including wood and clay (the latter remaining in use well into the 20th century). Although affordable [[ox]]-bone balls were in common use in Europe, elephant [[ivory]] was favored since at least 1627 until the early 20th century;<ref name="Shamos 1999">{{Shamos 1999}}</ref>{{rp|17}} the earliest known written reference to ivory billiard balls is in the 1588 inventory of the [[Duke of Norfolk]].<ref name="Everton 1986">{{cite book |title=The History of Snooker and Billiards |last=Everton |first=Clive |author-link=Clive Everton |location=Haywards Heath, England |publisher=[[Transworld (company)|Partridge Press]] |page=8 |date=1986 |isbn=1-85225-013-5 |quote=11 balls of {{sic|hide=y|yvery}} }} This is a revised version of ''The Story of Billiards and Snooker'', 1979.</ref> Dyed and numbered balls appeared around the early 1770s.<ref name="Shamos 1999" />{{rp|17}} By the mid-19th century, elephants were being slaughtered for their ivory at an alarming rate, just to keep up with the demand for high-end billiard balls – no more than eight balls could be made from a single elephant's tusks.{{citation needed|date=February 2010|reason=When sourced, this should probably be added to the article on elephants.}} The billiard industry realized that the supply of elephants (their primary source of ivory) was [[Endangered species|endangered]], as well as dangerous to obtain (the latter an issue of notable public concern at the turn of the 19th century).<ref name="Shamos 1999" />{{rp|17}} Inventors were challenged to come up with an alternative material that could be [[Manufacturing|manufactured]], with a [[United States dollar|US$]]10,000 (worth approximately ${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|10000|1869|r=1}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}) prize being offered by a New York supplier.<ref name="Shamos 1999" />{{rp|17}}
Although not the first artificial substance to be used for the balls (e.g. [[Sorel cement]], invented in 1867, was marketed as an artificial ivory), [[John Wesley Hyatt]]
However, Hyatt's composite had problems. One of the most relevant is cellulose nitrate flammability, not because of making the billiard balls explode, as is often claimed, but because of the dangers of handling it in its pure form during manufacturing. Another problem was related to camphor mass exploitation, leading to the devastation of Taiwan's forests and displacement of indigenous communities.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Altman |first=Rebecca |date=2 July 2021 |title=The myth of historical bio-based plastics |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj1003 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=373 |issue=6550 |pages=47–49 |doi=10.1126/science.abj1003 |issn=0036-8075}}</ref> Subsequently, the industry experimented with various other synthetic materials for billiard balls such as [[Bakelite]], [[poly(methyl methacrylate)|acrylic]], and other plastic compounds.
The exacting requirements of the billiard ball are met today with balls cast from plastic materials that are strongly resistant to cracking and chipping. Currently [[Saluc]], under the brand name Aramith and other [[private label]]s, manufactures [[phenolic resin]] balls.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saluc.com/html/billiard/index.php |title=Aramith |access-date=2 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818090427/http://www.saluc.com/html/billiard/index.php |archive-date=18 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brunswickbilliards.com/our_rich_history/billiard_balls/index.html |title=History |work=brunswickbilliards.com |access-date=9 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327190020/http://www.brunswickbilliards.com/our_rich_history/billiard_balls/index.html |archive-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> Other plastics and resins such as [[polyester]] (similar to those used for [[bowling ball]]s) and clear [[poly(methyl methacrylate)|acrylic]] are also used.▼
▲The exacting requirements of the billiard ball are met today with balls cast from plastic materials that are strongly resistant to cracking and chipping. Currently [[Saluc]], under the brand name Aramith and other [[private label]]s, manufactures [[phenolic resin]] balls.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saluc.com/html/billiard/index.php |title=Aramith |access-date=2 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818090427/http://www.saluc.com/html/billiard/index.php |archive-date=18 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brunswickbilliards.com/our_rich_history/billiard_balls/index.html |title=History |work=brunswickbilliards.com |access-date=9 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327190020/http://www.brunswickbilliards.com/our_rich_history/billiard_balls/index.html |archive-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> Other plastics and resins such as [[polyester]] (similar to those used for [[bowling ball]]s) and clear [[
Ivory balls remained in use in [[artistic billiards]] competition until the late 20th century.<ref name="Shamos 1999" />{{rp|17}}
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===Carom billiards===
[[File:Carom billiards balls.jpg|thumb|200px|Carom balls. [[Four-ball billiards|Four-ball]] needs an additional object ball.]]
In the realm of [[carom billiards]] games, three balls are used to play most games on pocketless [[billiards table]]s. Carom balls are not numbered, and are 61–61.5 mm (approximately {{frac|2|13|32}} in) in diameter, and a weight ranging between {{convert|205|and|220|g}} with a typical weight of {{convert|7.5|oz|g|order=flip|abbr=on}}.<ref name="UMB-II-12-2">{{cite web |url=
* White: {{Cuegloss
* Yellow
* Red:
{{
===Pool===
{{anchor|American-style pool}}
{|class="wikitable
|-
|align=center|1||bgcolor="gold" colspan=3| ||solid yellow
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|align=center|15||bgcolor="white"| ||bgcolor="maroon"| ||bgcolor="white"| ||maroon stripe
|-
|align=center|•||bgcolor="white" colspan=3| ||{{Cuegloss
|}
Pool balls are used to play various [[pool (cue sports)|pool]] games, such as [[eight-ball]], [[nine-ball]], and [[straight pool]]. These balls, the most widely used throughout the world, are smaller than carom billiards balls, and larger than those for snooker. According to [[World Pool-Billiard Association]] equipment specifications, the weight may be from {{cvt|5+1/2|to(-)|6.0|oz|g}} with a diameter of {{cvt|2+1/4|in|mm}}, plus or minus {{cvt|0.005|in|mm|3}}.<ref name="WPAequipspec">{{cite web |url= https://wpapool.com/equipment-specifications/ |title=Recommended Equipment Specifications
[[File:8ballrack.jpg|thumb|Pool balls in a rack]]▼
▲Pool balls are used to play various [[pool (cue sports)|pool]] games, such as [[eight-ball]], [[nine-ball]], and [[straight pool]]. These balls, the most widely used throughout the world, are smaller than carom billiards balls, and larger than those for snooker. According to [[World Pool-Billiard Association]] equipment specifications, the weight may be from {{cvt|5+1/2|to(-)|6.0|oz|g}} with a diameter of {{cvt|2+1/4|in|mm}}, plus or minus {{cvt|0.005|in|mm|3}}.<ref name="WPAequipspec">{{cite web |url=https://wpapool.com/equipment-specifications/ |title=Recommended Equipment Specifications – WPA Pool.htm |work=wpapool.com |publisher=World Pool-Billiard Association |date=November 2001 |access-date=7 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="BCAbook">{{cite book |year=2004 |title=Billiards: The Official Rules and Records Book |publisher=[[Billiards Congress of America]] |location=[[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]] |page=5 |isbn=978-1-878493-14-9 |author=BCA Rules Committee}}</ref>
▲[[File:8ballrack.jpg|thumb|left|Pool balls in a rack]]
The balls are numbered and colored as in the table show here. Balls 1 through 7 are the
[[Rotation (pool)|Rotation]] games do not distinguish between solids and stripes, but rather use the numbering on the balls to determine which {{Cuegloss
Some balls used in televised pool games are colored differently in order to make them more distinguishable on television monitors. Most commonly, the dark purple used on the 4 and 12 balls is replaced by pink to make it easier to distinguish the 4 from the black 8 ball, and similarly the 7 and 15 balls use a lighter brown color instead of a deep maroon. Other, less common color substitutions are also found, dependent on manufacturer. These sets often have a cue ball with multiple spots on its surface so that {{Cuegloss
Coin-operated pool tables, such as those found at [[bowling alley]]s, [[
{{
===Blackball and British-style eight-ball pool===
{{anchor|Blackball pool|reason=Old section name, may have incoming links.}}
In [[
[[File:British Style Pool Balls.jpg|left|thumb|145px|Setup for blackball]] Aside from the 8, shots are not {{Cuegloss| {{clear|both}}
===Snooker===
{|class="wikitable
|-
!Colour!!Value
|-
| [[File:Snooker_ball_red.png|14px]] {{Cuegloss|
|-
| [[File:Snooker_ball_yellow.png|14px]] {{Cuegloss|
|-
| [[File:Snooker_ball_green.png|14px]] {{Cuegloss|
|-
| [[File:Snooker_ball_brown.png|14px]] {{Cuegloss|
|-
| [[File:Snooker_ball_blue.png|14px]] {{Cuegloss|
|-
| [[File:Snooker_ball_pink.png|14px]] {{Cuegloss|
|-
| [[File:Snooker_ball_black.png|14px]] {{Cuegloss|
|}
Ball sets for [[snooker]] consist of twenty-two balls in total, arranged as a rack of 15 unmarked red balls, six {{Cuegloss|
[[File:Set of Snookerballs.png|thumb|left|125px|A complete set of snooker balls]]
Snooker balls are standardized at {{cvt|52.5|mm|in|frac=16|2}} in diameter within a tolerance of plus or minus {{cvt|0.05|mm|in|3}}. No standard weight is defined, but all balls in the set must be the same weight within a tolerance of {{cvt|3|g|oz|2}}.<ref name="WSAequipspec">
The set of eight colours used for snooker balls (including white) are thought to be derived from [[croquet]], which uses the same set of colors. Snooker was invented in 1884 by British Army officers stationed in India. Croquet reached its peak popularity at the same time, particularly among people in the same social context. There are many other similarities between croquet and snooker, which when taken together, suggest that the derivation of the latter owes much to the existence of the former.<ref>{{cite web |title=An Introduction to Croquet: A Brief History |url= https://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=games/CroquetIntro#history |publisher=
{{Clear|both}}
===Other games===
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|caption2=Bumper pool ball near a pocket
}}
Various other games have their own variants of billiard balls. [[English billiards]] uses the same number of balls as carom billiards, but the same size as snooker balls, as the game is played on the same size table as snooker. Each player uses a separate cue ball, with modern English billiards sets using one white ball with red spots and the other being yellow with red spots.
[[Russian pyramid]] uses a set of fifteen numbered white balls and a red or yellow cue ball that are even larger than carom billiards balls at {{convert|68|mm|in|frac=16}}. [[Kaisa (cue sport)|Kaisa]] has the same pocket and ball dimensions but uses only five balls: one yellow, two red and two white cue balls, one for each player.<ref name="BVRP">{{cite web |url= https://cuesup.com/russian-pyramid-pool-a-game-bearing-more-games/ |title=Russian Billiards |work=CuesUp.com |author=<!--Staff writer; no byline.--> |
[[Bumper pool]] requires four white and four red object balls, and two special balls, one red with a white spot and the other white with red spot; all are usually {{convert|2+1/8|in|mm}} in diameter. [[Bar billiards]] uses six or seven white balls (depending on regional variations) and one red ball {{cvt|1+7/8|in|mm|0}} in diameter.
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The 8 ball is frequently used in Western, especially American, culture as an element of T-shirt designs, album covers and names, tattoos, household goods like paperweights and cigarette lighters, belt buckles, etc. A classic toy is the [[Magic 8-Ball]] "oracle".
The term "8-ball" is also [[slang]] both for {{convert|1/8|oz|g}} of [[cocaine]] or [[
Because the [[
"Billiard balls" or "pool balls" is the name given to balls used in [[stage magic]] tricks, especially the classic "[[multiplying billiard balls]]". Though obviously derived from real billiard balls, today they are usually smaller, for easier manipulation and hiding, but not so small and light that they are difficult to [[juggle]], as the magic and juggling disciplines have often overlapped since their successful combination by pioneers like [[Paul Vandy]].
The phrase "as smooth as a billiard ball" is sometimes applied to describe a [[
==References==
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