What is Newton's Cradle?

Introduction:

A Newton's Cradle consists of identically sized metal balls in a metal frame so that they are touching each other at rest. Each ball is attached to the frame by two wires of equal length angled away from each other. This restricts the pendulums' movements to the same plane.

Materials:

-cradle that consist of five balls also called Newton's Cradle.

Procedure:

One ball is pulled away and falls; it strikes the first ball in the series and comes almost to a dead stop. The ball on the

opposite side acquires most of the velocity and swings instantly in an arc almost as high as the release height of the first

ball. This shows that the final ball moving receives most of the energy and momentum that was in the first ball.

Safety First!

- keep your face away when swinging the ball, so you don't get hit.

Scientific Principle:

The number of balls moving after impact equals the number of balls that released by applying the law of the conservation of

energy and the law of conservation of momentum. The Kinetic energy of the first ball that moves equals the kinetic energy

of the balls leaving the other side of the row of balls. The momentum of the balls on impact equals the momentum of the second

group of the balls after impact.

Formulas:

Conservation of Linear Momentum: m1v1i+m2v2i = m1v1+m2v2 = pi=pf

Conservation of Kinetic Energy: v1i+v1= v2+v2i

It All Began With Isaac Newton...

Named after him was the Newton's Cradle