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The Billiard Ball

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183:-winning theoretical physicist who had developed most of the theory that made the device possible. The men are expert billiards players and bitter rivals. Challenged to execute a shot on a table which is equipped with the device, Priss sends a ball on a complicated trajectory, which finishes when it enters the device's field. At that point the ball vanishes and Bloom collapses, dead. There is a mysterious hole drilled completely through his chest. 581: 25: 198:. However, this field possesses remarkable properties, which are the centerpiece of the story: any object which enters the field is reduced to zero mass, and hence must assume the speed of light. There is also the unprovable speculation as to whether Priss knew, from his own theory and the nature of the blue glow produced by the field (possibly due to 178:
device in the mid-21st century. Heavy with physics theory, the story describes the relationship between the creator of the device, the billionaire inventor Edward Bloom, and his former classmate James Priss, a
654: 669: 209:'s suggested title of "Dirty Pool" was far better than his own. The story retains its title despite the feeling of its author, as he preferred to remain consistent. 303: 664: 455: 625: 644: 489: 276: 358: 174:
An example of what Asimov called his "late style," the story is a journalist's recollection of the events surrounding the discovery of an
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of the first order. Energy can be freely created in a volume of space time which is pulled "flat," as defined within the
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Asimov himself had some reservations about the name of the story, and noted that his friend
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Central to the story is the concept of a pure anti-gravity machine that turns out to be a
126: 595: 372: 202:), what would happen, and if he then directed the ball in such a way as to kill Bloom. 638: 531: 232: 206: 138: 580: 470: 318: 175: 156: 133: 591: 270: 180: 129: 24: 136:, written in September 1966 and first published in the March 1967 issue of 496: 437: 285: 253: 18: 599: 49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 231: 16:1967 science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov 619: 449: 297: 8: 655:Works originally published in If (magazine) 626: 612: 456: 442: 434: 304: 290: 282: 142:. It appeared in Asimov's 1968 collection 594:(or stories) published in the 1960s is a 109:Learn how and when to remove this message 670:1960s science fiction short story stubs 218: 665:Short stories set in the 21st century 277:Internet Speculative Fiction Database 7: 577: 575: 47:adding citations to reliable sources 14: 238:. Sphere Books. pp. ix–xiv. 579: 23: 34:needs additional citations for 1: 645:Short stories by Isaac Asimov 380:I'm in Marsport Without Hilda 598:. You can help Knowledge by 163:The Complete Stories, Vol. 2 686: 574: 477: 325: 154:, in his 1986 collection 148:, in his 1973 collection 466:The Best of Isaac Asimov 234:The Best of Isaac Asimov 188:perpetual motion machine 151:The Best of Isaac Asimov 226:Asimov, Isaac (1973). 587:This article about a 275:title listing at the 192:Theory of Relativity 43:improve this article 200:Cherenkov radiation 132:by American author 58:"The Billiard Ball" 650:1967 short stories 483:Marooned off Vesta 387:Marooned off Vesta 314:Asimov's Mysteries 145:Asimov's Mysteries 660:Cue sports novels 607: 606: 569: 568: 553:The Billiard Ball 525:The Last Question 431: 430: 422:The Billiard Ball 366:The Dust of Death 359:Pâté de Foie Gras 345:What's in a Name? 338:The Talking Stone 272:The Billiard Ball 194:as determined by 123:The Billiard Ball 119: 118: 111: 93: 677: 628: 621: 614: 583: 576: 518:The Fun They Had 458: 451: 444: 435: 331:The Singing Bell 306: 299: 292: 283: 258: 257: 237: 223: 114: 107: 103: 100: 94: 92: 51: 27: 19: 685: 684: 680: 679: 678: 676: 675: 674: 635: 634: 633: 632: 589:science fiction 572: 570: 565: 539:The Dying Night 504:The Martian Way 473: 462: 432: 427: 352:The Dying Night 321: 310: 267: 262: 261: 246: 225: 224: 220: 215: 196:Albert Einstein 172: 127:science fiction 115: 104: 98: 95: 52: 50: 40: 28: 17: 12: 11: 5: 683: 681: 673: 672: 667: 662: 657: 652: 647: 637: 636: 631: 630: 623: 616: 608: 605: 604: 584: 567: 566: 564: 563: 556: 549: 542: 535: 528: 521: 514: 507: 500: 493: 486: 478: 475: 474: 463: 461: 460: 453: 446: 438: 429: 428: 426: 425: 418: 411: 404: 397: 390: 383: 376: 373:A Loint of Paw 369: 362: 355: 348: 341: 334: 326: 323: 322: 311: 309: 308: 301: 294: 286: 280: 279: 266: 265:External links 263: 260: 259: 244: 228:"Introduction" 217: 216: 214: 211: 171: 168: 117: 116: 31: 29: 22: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 682: 671: 668: 666: 663: 661: 658: 656: 653: 651: 648: 646: 643: 642: 640: 629: 624: 622: 617: 615: 610: 609: 603: 601: 597: 593: 590: 585: 582: 578: 573: 561: 557: 554: 550: 547: 543: 540: 536: 533: 532:The Dead Past 529: 526: 522: 519: 515: 512: 508: 505: 501: 498: 494: 491: 487: 484: 480: 479: 476: 472: 468: 467: 459: 454: 452: 447: 445: 440: 439: 436: 423: 419: 416: 412: 409: 405: 402: 398: 395: 391: 388: 384: 381: 377: 374: 370: 367: 363: 360: 356: 353: 349: 346: 342: 339: 335: 332: 328: 327: 324: 320: 316: 315: 307: 302: 300: 295: 293: 288: 287: 284: 278: 274: 273: 269: 268: 264: 255: 251: 247: 245:0-385-05078-X 241: 236: 235: 229: 222: 219: 212: 210: 208: 207:Frederik Pohl 203: 201: 197: 193: 189: 184: 182: 177: 169: 167: 165: 164: 159: 158: 153: 152: 147: 146: 141: 140: 135: 131: 128: 124: 113: 110: 102: 91: 88: 84: 81: 77: 74: 70: 67: 63: 60: –  59: 55: 54:Find sources: 48: 44: 38: 37: 32:This article 30: 26: 21: 20: 600:expanding it 586: 571: 560:Mirror Image 552: 471:Isaac Asimov 464: 421: 319:Isaac Asimov 312: 271: 233: 221: 204: 185: 176:anti-gravity 173: 170:Plot summary 161: 157:Robot Dreams 155: 149: 143: 137: 134:Isaac Asimov 122: 120: 105: 96: 86: 79: 72: 65: 53: 41:Please help 36:verification 33: 592:short story 546:Anniversary 394:Anniversary 181:Nobel Prize 130:short story 99:August 2008 639:Categories 408:Star Light 213:References 69:newspapers 490:Nightfall 511:The Deep 401:Obituary 497:C-Chute 415:The Key 254:74-2863 160:and in 125:" is a 83:scholar 252:  242:  85:  78:  71:  64:  56:  90:JSTOR 76:books 596:stub 250:LCCN 240:ISBN 62:news 469:by 317:by 45:by 641:: 248:. 230:. 166:. 139:If 627:e 620:t 613:v 602:. 562:" 558:" 555:" 551:" 548:" 544:" 541:" 537:" 534:" 530:" 527:" 523:" 520:" 516:" 513:" 509:" 506:" 502:" 499:" 495:" 492:" 488:" 485:" 481:" 457:e 450:t 443:v 424:" 420:" 417:" 413:" 410:" 406:" 403:" 399:" 396:" 392:" 389:" 385:" 382:" 378:" 375:" 371:" 368:" 364:" 361:" 357:" 354:" 350:" 347:" 343:" 340:" 336:" 333:" 329:" 305:e 298:t 291:v 256:. 121:" 112:) 106:( 101:) 97:( 87:· 80:· 73:· 66:· 39:.

Index


verification
improve this article
adding citations to reliable sources
"The Billiard Ball"
news
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books
scholar
JSTOR
Learn how and when to remove this message
science fiction
short story
Isaac Asimov
If
Asimov's Mysteries
The Best of Isaac Asimov
Robot Dreams
The Complete Stories, Vol. 2
anti-gravity
Nobel Prize
perpetual motion machine
Theory of Relativity
Albert Einstein
Cherenkov radiation
Frederik Pohl
"Introduction"
The Best of Isaac Asimov
ISBN
0-385-05078-X

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