what are the rules of snooker ?

[mhassan]

what is the rule if two red balls were put down at a time ?

[SlackAlice]

Provided the 'red' ball was the correct pot, both score ie 2points

[scotman]

^
Agreed

Assuming a red pot is on then it is 1 point for each red ball potted. There is no limit. You only get to try for one colour though.

[ichkeria]

Indeed - and if one starts ones break with a "2" it makes possible the greatest quiz question I ever heard:
Namely, what's the highest possible break in snooker where every score called out by the ref after a pot is a prime number ?!

[DTCwordfan]

actually the highest break is not 147 but 155 - and the highest number of points in one shot is a theoretical 16

[ichkeria]

Yes, but of course that's not the answer to the question (which, unfortunately, I've forgotten!)

[DTCwordfan]

I'd have to sit down and work that one out....!

[factor-fiction]

Prime number breaks?
2
2+3= 5
5 +2 reds= 7
= 7+4 (brown)=11
11 +2 reds= 13
13+4 (brown) =17
17+2 reds = 19
19+4 (brown) = 23
23 + 6reds(!) = 29
29+2(yellow)= 31

No I must have gone wrong. Let me know if you can remember the answer

[ichkeria]

I "think" the answer's 37 (2,7,11,17,19,21,23,29,31,37) but willing to be proved wrong :-)

[DTCwordfan]

Answer is 124

(including clearing the colours worth 27)

red/pink on a free ball/red/blue/red/blue/red/green/red/black/re
d/blue/red/green
(47 now) red/blue/red/blue/red/black/red/blue/red/blue
/red/green/red/blue
and red/black for 97 and then the colour balls.

[factor-fiction]

Looks good, ickeria. Those are all prime numbers and you don't run out of reds that way

[DTCwordfan]

97 therefore without taking the yellow as the first ball of the colours clearance as that adds 2 to make 99 (and divisible)

[ichkeria]

DTcrosswordfan, don't forget that you have to keep potting even numbers of reds each time, which of course drastically reduces the length of the break. I remember the answer was under 40 ...

[DTCwordfan]

need a bloody spreadsheet now but my mathematical guess would then be 37

[DTCwordfan]

ns ita 97 if you count each red and colour combo.....

[factor-fiction]

I assume the total has to be a prime number after each ball. So, for example, once you get to 47 you can't get a red then a blue (new total 53) because after the red you'd be at 48 which of course isn't prime

[DTCwordfan]

It is 37

1 red (or nominal red) plus pink
2 reds plus brown
3 reds plus yellow
6 reds plus yellow
3 reds plus yellow = 37

[MarkRae]

The referee calls out the cumulative score after every shot, not after every red and colour combination...

[DaisyNonna]

Not a sport, a game.

[New Judge]

Sorry, bit late in on this one.

I make the answer 37, but ichkeria’s solution is incorrect as it involves 21, which of course is not a prime number. DT’s solution is also invalid because (a) it only amounts to 31 and (b) it involves calls of 1, 9, 16, 18, 24, and 26. My solution (there may be others):

5 reds (5)
Pink (11)
2 reds (13)
Pink (19)
4 reds (23)
Pink (29)
2 reds (31)
Pink (37)

After that you need to get to 41, but you’ve only 2 reds left.

BTW, I don’t make the maximum (theoretical) score in one shot 16, DT. How is it done?

[kawakiri]

I once made a break of 8 points and potted the yellow four times!