Newton's Cradle
Newton’s Cradle
Isaac Newton was a key figure in developing some basic laws of motion that apply to the world all around us. One object that demonstrates some of Newton’s Laws of Motion is Newton’s Cradle. Because Newton’s Cradle was not invented by Newton, the name is a bit misleading. Although there is still some confusion today as to who is the rightful inventor of this object, most sources claim that Newton’s Cradle was invented by Marius Morin and was later coined “Newton’s Cradle” by English actor in 1967. This popular executive toy exhibits various concepts related to physics including friction, collisions, conservation of energy, and conservation of momentum.
Momentum is force of moving objects. It can be measured by multiplying an object’s mass and velocity. Basically, the concept of conservation of momentum is that the total momentum of objects before a collision is equal to the total momentum of the objects after the collisionIt is essential to remember that momentum is a vector quantity, meaning its definition requires the direction of the force. Newton’s Cradle provides a perfect example of this. When Ball 1 collides with Ball 2, it travels in a certain direction. For instance, the balls may be moving west to east. This means that the momentum is moving east.
There are various types of energy, including chemical, thermal, electric, sound, mechanical, potential and kinetic energy. In our daily lives, objects all around us are constantly changing their forms of energy. In a Newton’s Cradle, the balls are shifting from potential energy (when the balls are at rest) to kinetic energy (when the balls move). Despite the fact that the form of energy is changing, this does not mean that energy is being lost. The law of conservation of energy states that cannot be destroyed or created but only transformed. The balls in a Newton’s Cradle all begin at a state of rest (meaning they have potential energy), but the energy is then transformed to kinetic
Isaac Newton was a key figure in developing some basic laws of motion that apply to the world all around us. One object that demonstrates some of Newton’s Laws of Motion is Newton’s Cradle. Because Newton’s Cradle was not invented by Newton, the name is a bit misleading. Although there is still some confusion today as to who is the rightful inventor of this object, most sources claim that Newton’s Cradle was invented by Marius Morin and was later coined “Newton’s Cradle” by English actor in 1967. This popular executive toy exhibits various concepts related to physics including friction, collisions, conservation of energy, and conservation of momentum.
Momentum is force of moving objects. It can be measured by multiplying an object’s mass and velocity. Basically, the concept of conservation of momentum is that the total momentum of objects before a collision is equal to the total momentum of the objects after the collisionIt is essential to remember that momentum is a vector quantity, meaning its definition requires the direction of the force. Newton’s Cradle provides a perfect example of this. When Ball 1 collides with Ball 2, it travels in a certain direction. For instance, the balls may be moving west to east. This means that the momentum is moving east.
There are various types of energy, including chemical, thermal, electric, sound, mechanical, potential and kinetic energy. In our daily lives, objects all around us are constantly changing their forms of energy. In a Newton’s Cradle, the balls are shifting from potential energy (when the balls are at rest) to kinetic energy (when the balls move). Despite the fact that the form of energy is changing, this does not mean that energy is being lost. The law of conservation of energy states that cannot be destroyed or created but only transformed. The balls in a Newton’s Cradle all begin at a state of rest (meaning they have potential energy), but the energy is then transformed to kinetic