Billiard As A Terminology

What is meant by the term "billiard"? It is a dynamical system where a particle alternates between motion in a straight line and secular reflections with a boundary. When the particle hits the boundary it reflects from it without loss of speed. This means that if you hit the edge of the one ball with the edge of the cue ball, and then the cue ball travels along the tangent line and strikes the nine balls, you have executed a billiard.

Brief History

In the 1600s ivory billiard balls came into use. While they were more playable than wood they were very expensive and only the very rich could afford them. In 1869, Wesley Hyatt an Albany chemist invented a hard, shiny, moldable substance he called celluloid or better known as plastic. It was this discovery that led to improvements in billiard balls to this very day. Then in 1892 William A. Spinks, a professional billiard player from Chicago began working with chemists on the components of chalk. He was impressed with the chalk's ability to grip during play and set out to invent a chalk that could grip even more. The effect of the new "chalk" on the game changed billiards forever.

Billiard Cues

Billiard cues are tapered sticks usually made of wood. These are essential equipment in billiards and pool games. Some of the cues have graphite or fiberglass as an outer covering. There are mainly two types of pool cues, production cues and custom cues. Billiard cues are designed with consideration of the length of your arms and size of your hands. A typical pool cue is 58 inches long and weighs about 510 to 600 gm.

Billiard Accessories

Billiard accessories are a pretty broad category. The standard billiard items are billiards tables (pool tables), table covers, pool cues, billiard chalk, hand chalk, chalk holders, cue tips, table brushes, rack (racking balls), trays (carrying billiard balls), glue and clamps for repairing tips, sand paper, tip scuffers, tip tappers, tip shapers, billiard ball cleaner, training books, training videos, etc. There is also a whole other grouping of billiard accessories where table repair is concerned. There is billiard cloth, adhesive for covering your table, staples, rails and rubber, and pocket inserts.

Purchasing Billiard Cues & Accessories

Buying new billiard cues or billiard accessories can be tricky since there are thousands of manufacturers, and exponentially more makes and models by each one. Below are some tips:

Billiard table - Do not consider the purchase if you can not get an experienced billiard table mover to dismantle the table, properly transport it, and reassemble it on location. Any other way of moving the table will likely result in cracked slate.

Billiard Cues - Consider climate when deciding on shipment methods, as billiard cues can warp in extreme temperatures.

Online Shopping - While this is the best way to get the best deals, you must ensure the vendor's credibility and previous customer feedbacks. Also check to see if your payment processor offers buyer protection.