Ten-pin bowling back row, then three, then two, and finally one in the front at the center of the lane. To ease communication, pins are numbered one through ten, starting with "head pin" in front, and ending with ten in the back to the right. Because of the spacing of the pins and the size of the ball (about in diameter), it is impossible for the ball to contact all pins. Therefore, a tactical shot is required, which would result in a chain reaction of pin hitting pin in a process called "pin scatter". In an ideal shot for a right-hander, the
Five-pin bowling bowlers use a number of terms to denote the results of a throw: All modern bowling centres use automated pin-setting machines (first used in 1957) to reset the pins after each ball is thrown. In five-pin, two types of pinsetters are used—"string" and "free fall". The "string" pinsetter is known for each pin having a string attached to the head. These pinsetters were first invented in 1963 and are characterized by a string being attached to the head of each pin. This type of pinsetter has a low operating cost, so it is the most commonly used type of pinsetter.