I went to watch my friend bowl on Monday night, and I was chatting with a few of the people on his team.

I asked, "so assuming you don't knock down all the pinds on your first throw, which pin configuration is the most tricky to handle?"

Both immediately said, "The 7-10 split".

And it occured to me, that it is likely that they know this from experience.  They've thrown enough balls at enough pin configurations to come to that conclusion.  Alternatively, you could determine the answer by running a simulation under ideal conditions, and considering the proportions of the lane, all possible weight distributions and surfaces of the balls, and reasonable guesses about human physiology.  Instead, other peoples experience gives me the answer without having to revert to scientific rigor, however interesting a process that might be. Its important to remember to stop and consider what others have learned, before proceeding to waste your time.