newtons cradle

as a kid when i was at the doctors i was amazed at the desktop items the doctor had on his table, and 1 thing stood out of all the rest, A Newton's Cradle is a classic desk toy consisting of a series of suspended, identical metal balls. When you lift and release the end ball(s), the kinetic energy transfers through the stationary balls, causing the exact same number of balls at the opposite end to swing upward. How it Works Although most explanations attribute the toy solely to the conservation of momentum, the reality of its motion involves complex physics: Elastic Collisions: When a ball strikes the others, a compression wave shoots through the line of spheres at the speed of sound in the metal version. Kinetic Transfer: The energy is transferred almost instantaneously. Because the system obeys both conservation of energy and momentum, the last ball pops outward matching the velocity of the first. Equal Reactions: If you pull back two balls, two balls will swing out on the other end. If you pull three, three pop out. this version can be scaled to suit and print in any colour you like, printed in pla, only supports apart from the top bar it needs some small supports to keep the rings in place, these rings are the key to make the balls move.