Newton’s Cradle Explained

Do you know how Newton’s Cradle works? In this video, Museum Educator Eric demonstrates how momentum will always stay the same within a closed system. The same number of bowling balls pulled out of the Newton’s Cradle and then released will always be the same number of bowling balls that come out the other side, even if the more bowling balls are pulled out than remain behind. This is because of momentum, which does not change within a closed system with no external forces acting on it. Come along on a journey of scientific discovery and Newtonian mechanics!

Copyright © 2024. Museum of Science. All rights reserved. This video is owned by the Museum of Science and may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used in any manner without prior written permission from the Museum of Science.

[angelad]

I’m so happy to have found the physics side of YouTube again

[hitmanking]

If all my physics class was like this it would be so much better 😅

[brkctrl]

I know how this works and have watched these countless times but for some reason it still brings me joy watching it every time.

[有]

Physics is so fascinating to watch in action, it's like magic! It's amazing how simple yet complex science can be.

[djpup]

I will never love anything more than the passion that you can visibly see coming from people who love science explaining it to others, they’re clearly so happy and passionate about it

[keeferfleming]

I'm so relaxed, but also informed.. I like it

[mildlycornfield]

That 'tock' sound is SO satisfying!!

[BryantColeman-kg]

I respect that this guy doesn’t just talk but instead demonstrates what he is doing

[Jay_On_Highs]

I’ve realized I’ve never actually hated physics, just the way it was taught to me


(I’ve always loved math tho)

[adub]

Science teachers were always my favorites. They always go out of their way to show something that’s truly simple yet so complex.

[Flower_pot]

The way he talks is so easy to follow without feeling like I’m being talked down to and I love it so much!

[leahfreedman]

My grandpa had one of these on his desk and i would play with it all the time as a kid. Thanks for bringing up the memory

[spelldaddy]

I love how when he demonstrates with one ball and says one ball will go out the other side, the second ball also moves a little. For those who are confused, it's because Newton's laws are based on a perfect system where no external forces are acting on the objects and all of the balls are exactly equal in mass. In this case, the balls are likely of slightly different masses, as the real world is not perfect, so the second ball moves just a little bit.

I just appreciate the irony that what he is saying is not what's happening in front of him

[乂]

Watching these physics videos rekindles my childhood curiosity, every single time!

[wisemaste]

Physics is sweet when you have great tutors beside you!

[phoenixfairi]

I've seen so many demonstrations of this and I never get tired of them.

[KooblyK]

As a physicist-in-training who often feels like I'm not doing well enough to make it my profession (despite good grades), it's always so affirming to watch these exercises or puzzles or hypotheticals, and have my inuition give me the correct prediction of what's going to happen. I didn't have to run through the principles of anything, my brain just visualized 3 falling and 3 moving away, like how you know a ball will roll if you kick it.

It's exhausting having to rewire how you think about the world from the ground up in a lot of cases (especially when you hit the cosmic and quantum), but man is the result satisfying!

[CT-]

I remember being a kid in middle school and being fascinated by a Newton’s Cradle, it still never fails to fascinate me.

[GuyTroce]

I've seen this expirement a hundred times and it's still satisfying to watch

[museumofscience]

Like this science demo? Learn more with us in person at the Museum of Science in Boston!