Many golfers, especially beginners, have several interesting and unexpected questions, which sometimes require an experiment or complex calculation to answer.
Among these extremely difficult questions, “How Many Golf Balls Fit In a School Bus?” is one of the most common questions that has confused many experts.
Golf balls are very familiar, but being familiar with them may not help you answer that question. Instead, you must know about the specifications and measurements of golf balls and regular buses, as well as the calculating method in order to answer the question.
Can you calculate it? Are you curious how it is calculated? Find the answer here!
Table of Contents
Size and Volume of a Golf Ball
The size and volume are obviously important for a golf ball and its related calculation. Without determining these factors, it is impossible to estimate the number of balls needed to fill the bus.
Of course, it is difficult to have the exact number applicable for all cases because there are many types of golf balls in different sizes and weights.
In this calculation, I would use the standard balls as references for size and weight, considering that it is the most popular golf ball type.
1. Golf Ball Size
Golf is a global sport with several variations, thus having a wide variety of golf balls. These balls are different in specifications, measurements, and features to specifically serve certain games and players.
However, when considering the most common type of ball for practice or competition, it is probably standard golf balls that strictly follow the rules of the R&E and the UGSA.
Accordingly, the ball must have a diameter of 1.68 inches (or 42.67 in mm). This number has been tested to ensure fairness and effectiveness to all golf games and players.
The balls used in the field can sometimes be different from the above standard size. However, these balls are considered illegal golf balls. In most professional cases, a standard ball is normally required to join.
Therefore, when calculating the number of balls to fill the school bus, I would also prefer the popular standard balls with a diameter of 1.68 inches.
2. Golf Ball Volume
Besides the size regulations, golf balls weigh 1.62 ounces (45.93 grams) or 0.1012 lbs. We will use this number to determine the volume of a golf ball.
With a diameter of the ball of 1.68 inches, the radius of the golf ball is 0.84 inches. Applying the formula for calculating spherical volume, you can have the golf ball volume as follows:
V = 4/3 * π * R * R * R = 4/3 * 3.14 * 0.84 * 0.84 * 0.84 = 2.5 (cubic inches).
Remember this number for later calculations!
A Standard Size of Regular School Buses
How big is a school bus? How many golf balls can it hold? Keep reading as you are very close to the answer!
During your student life, have you ever wondered how big the bus you took was? It must be large enough to carry several passengers. And if you have no idea about the bus’s measurements, most regular buses are 20ft long, 8ft wide and 6ft tall.
These numbers show that the volume of the vehicle is 20 x 8 x 6 = 960 cubic feet. One cubic foot equals 1728 cubic inches, so the bus volume is equal to 1,658,880 cubic inches.
You may find it somehow confusing with all the complex numbers and formulas. . But it’s still better than manually putting golf balls into a large bus and counting one by one.
How Many Golf Balls Fit In a School Bus?
As you have found the volume, now come back to the initial question of how many golf balls needed to fill the bus. You just need to take the bus volume and divide it by the volume of a standard golf ball to get the result.
So, about 1.6 million cubic inches divided by 2.5 cubic inches, you will get approximately 660,000 balls to fit in an school bus. That’s a huge number, isn’t it?
However, this is not the final result. Since the bus would normally have seats, motor drive, and other things that occupy the space, the actual balls needed to fill in the remaining area are around 500,000 balls.
So, a school bus will hold an estimated number of 500,000 golf balls. This is the number for a standard golf ball and regular bus. In fact, the result may be different in reality as bus designs are various.
This is just a simple and common way most people will use to calculate if asked the above question. In addition, there are still many other ways, and each calculation will give a different number.
Moreover, some other factors also affect the result, such as the spherical gaps or occupied space. Therefore, the result calculated can’t be 100% exactly, but may contain certain disparities depending on the cases.
However, in general, the differences between the estimated and actual numbers may not be significant.
If the above answers do not satisfy you, then watch the explainer video here for more information.
Conclusion
Now, you may have understood the calculation of “How Many Golf Balls Fit In a School Bus?”. Using a similar method, you can also answer questions like How many golf balls can fit in a Boeing 747 or How many golf balls can fit in a bathtub?
Or maybe, one day, you may encounter this question in an interview. No matter what happens, there is no need to worry because the answer is already in your head.
Lastly, if you find my article helpful, please share it with your friends so that more people come to know about the interesting information!
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