Physics of Beer Pong

Do you have what it takes to become a beer pong champion? If so, you have come to the right place! In this step-by-step tutorial, I will reveal the secrets of miserably defeating your opponent at the sport of beer pong. When played in tournament, beer pong takes a great amount more physical, psychological, and intellectual endurance than many other sports. It may even take many years of practice to become a champion.

Don’t assume that this game is not a blood thirsty sport either. Alcohol is related to 100,000 deaths annually in America, usually occurring after a night’s game of beer pong (Sage). I will rely heavily upon the laws of physics to explain in great detail the appropriate method to overcome your opponent's game, forcing them to streak across the neighborhood.

The rules of beer pong vary between locations and can cause great strife amongst rivaling teams. The number one rule is that the house that is hosting the tournament controls the rules. The house rules must also be announced at the beginning of the tournament. The official rules located on Wikipedia may give you a good foundation for the general rules. Alterations in the game usually form from city traditions. In Valdez, Alaska, a place well known for its intense game of beer pong, there is a common tradition of using quotes from Family Guy and BASEketball to distract the other player. Usually after a few beers these jokes miraculously become funny. Another beer pong tradition is to force the losing team to streak publicly. The website PongRules allows people to post their own rules around the world (PongRules). Remember, beer pong is governed by the drinkers for the drinkers.

There are two types of table measurements players may use. The official rules state that the table must be eight feet long, at least two feet wide, and stand four feet tall. However, it is more commonly played on a ping pong table where the height reaches 30 inches (Organization). For the purposes of this project, I will be deriving my calculations using the dimensions of a ping pong table. The regulation ping pong ball consists of being 3-star, 40mm in diameter, and weighing 2.7 grams.

Now, at each end of the table ten cups must be sorted in a triangular position similar to bowling pens but with the rims touching like so:

Usually three 12-ounce beers of your choice are divided equally among the 10 cups.