Newton’s Cradle
by American Scientific

The polished and reflective finish of the plastic base not only compliments the metal frame and steel balls of the Newton’s Cradle, but also helps to set it apart from the more traditional wooden base version. Felt pads on the bottom help protect whatever surface the cradle is sitting on, in the event that the pendulum’s motion causes it to move.

The Newton’s Cradle comes complete with a teacher’s guide that has a suggested lesson plan inside.

A Newton’s Cradle is one of the staples of physics classes everywhere. Named after Sir Isaac Newton, the cradle demonstrates Newton’s Law of Conservation of Energy. With the Newton’s Cradle, you’ll be able to see the law of impacts between bodies that was first demonstrated by French physicist Abbe Mariotte, in the 17th Century. His work was even acknowledged by Sir Isaac Newton in his book, Principia.

The Newton’s Cradle itself is a fairly simply construct, involving a series of five pendulums, typically steel balls. Each one is then attached to a frame by string or wire of equal length, and are equal distance apart. Because of their weight, the balls will all angle towards the center of the cradle, causing them to rest against each other.

Starting a chain reaction is quite simple: pull one, or two, of the balls back and release. It will follow the line of string/wire, and connect with the balls that are at rest. The kinetic energy from the balls in motion will transfer to those at rest, and cause the ones on the far end to start swinging. They will swing back and forth, transferring energy until it their momentum and energy has dissipated.

Dimensions:

Height: 18.3cm
Length: 18cm
Width: 11.6cm
Ball width: 2cm