How To Make A Newton’s Cradle

Newton’s Cradle is a classic science project that demonstrates momentum. It also serves as a fun DIY science toy for kids and adults! And psst… it’s perfect for science fairs! I have a special connection with this project because it was my own science fair entry many years ago. The version I made used actual ball bearings (benefits of having an inventor grandfather with a machine shop) but you can find out how to build a simple Newton cradle at home using ingredients from the craft store, right here, right now.When I developed this project for my book STEAM Play & Learn and trying to come up with the simplest version ever, I experimented with a lot of materials for the spheres. I tried HUGE wood and plastic beads and here’s what I found out, none of them worked… why? Well, the answer is in the science behind this project. MASS is very important for momentum. Learn more about it in the Let’s Talk STEAM section here. This post contains affiliate links.Newton’s Cradle is a project from my book STEAM Play & Learn. STEAM Play & Learn geared towards preschoolers but many of the projects, especially this and other electronics in the book, are suitable for children of all ages. You can check out my books on Amazon here:Safety: The marbles are a choking hazard. Please supervise this activity with any child putting objects in their mouths. NOTE: You must use marbles for this project to work. Wood particles are not dense enough to pass energy through them.How to make a Newton’s cradle

Material

Contents

Jumbo Craft Sticks
(6) Bi
Rope
Scissors
Glue
Ice
Pencil
Hot glue gun / glue

Guide

Step 1 Glue (4) craft stick together at the corners to form a square. Repeat with the other (4) craft sticks. Let dry. These will be the edges of the frame.
Step 2 Cut the wire into (6) equal lengths about 8” long
Step 3 Hot glue a marble to the center of one of the pieces of string. Repeat to finish with (6) separate marbles, each glued to the center of a string.
Step 4 Every ½” make a mark (6) along the two craft sticks. Make sure that the marks are centered between the sticks.
Step 5 Band one end of the ropes with the marbles attached along one of the craft sticks at each marker. Set aside.

Let’s talk to STEAM

Science

Newton’s Cradle is a toy named after the very famous scientist Sir Isaac Newton. It embodies a scientific idea called momentum. Momentum is the force of an object when it is in motion. When you shake one of the marbles at the end, it collides with the one next to it, and the force of that collision is passed through each other until the last one wobbles upwards. When the ball rotates downward, the force is transferred through the ball. Read more about momentum and collisions here. This is a demonstration of a scientific principle called conservation of momentum. This principle states that when two objects collide, their momentum before the collision is equal to their momentum after the collision. In Newton’s Cradle, the impact force propagates through each ball until it reaches the last balloon to rise. Momentum is also directly related to the mass of an object: Momentum = mass * velocityWhile developing this project, I experimented with different products for the spheres. I was hoping that the plastic beads would work as they would be much easier to use. The problem is that they have very little mass and so their momentum is not very strong as they rotate. You need to use a material for the spheres that are dense and can actually pass energy through itDensity is a unit of measurement of mass per unit volume of an object. Dense objects have more mass. The more mass an object has, the more momentum it has when the object wobbles. You can test this out for yourself as part of a science fair project! Check out our How to Make This a Science Fair Project below.

Mechanical

This DIY toy is supported by a rigid frame. A frame is a structure that holds something firmly in place. This toy has a lot of movement in the marbles and will not work if the frame around the marbles is also moving. tolerance. In engineering, products have to be made very precisely. Otherwise, the product will break when used. In Newton’s Cradle, the marbles must be hung very carefully next to each other and in line or the toy will not work.

More ideas

Have fun playing with this one! Try lifting and dropping two marbles at the same time. What happens? Color the craft sticks first and learn about capillary action! If you soak the craft stick in water with food coloring, the color will pass through the wood as the water is absorbed. You can learn how to do that here. Let dry and then erect a tie-dyed Newton Cradle. Read more: how to change the belt on a shark pilot vacuum cleaner

How to turn Newton’s Cradle into a Science Fair Project

Let’s turn this topic into a real experiment! Here’s how you can bring it to the science fair:

Ask yourself questions There are many interesting things going on in this project that you can learn. Some opinion questions: Which spherical material produces the best momentum (balls, ball bearings, wood beads, marbles)? Can you give the wood particles more volume to make them work in this demonstration? How? How rigid does the framework need to be for the project to work? Does the number of orbs affect how it works? What if you have more orbs in the line? What if you have less?

Research Do research online and at the library to try and predict answers to your questions. For example, read about momentum, mass, and density. Try to predict what materials would make the ideal Newton’s Cradle model.

Hypothesize Hypothesis is your prediction about the answer to your question based on your research. It may or may not be true.

Experiment! Test your hypothesis by testing variables and recording them. Make sure to note each experiment and what to expect; this is called your data.

Example: Experiment with spherical materials Try using large wood beads and ball bearings if possible. How do different materials change the way the model behaves? Experiment with Mass Try using a material for the spheres and add mass to see if it affects performance. Can you add something dense to the underside of the sphere and change the momentum? Experiment with the number of spheres Will the model work if there are 10 spheres? What about 2? How many ideal spheres are needed for the most efficient reaction?Test how high you lift the marble What if you just picked up the marbles and dropped them? How does that change momentum?

Draw conclusions Based on your experiments form a conclusion. Is your hypothesis correct?

Share your findings Create a presentation with your findings. Include your research, your hypothesis, the data you’ve collected, and your conclusions. Be sure to include pictures and samples!

Newtons Cradle will be a fun science fair project! For more Science Fair Ideas check out this list

Want more STEAM?

If you want to see more projects from my book, go here.You can also follow on Instagram using #steamplayandlearn. If you try any of the posts from the book, be sure to tag them #steamplayandlearn!

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