Structure and working of newtons cradle balance balls

The newtons cradle balance balls have undergone several renovations over the years. However, the basic outline remains the same and is very simple. An odd number of balls (usually five or seven) that barely touch each other are suspended from a wooden or metal frame. Balls are usually made of stainless steel and, in rare cases, titanium. Due to its good elasticity and low price, stainless steel is ideal for constructing balls.

Each ball has the same properties (size, weight, mass and density) and is suspended using two lines of equal length. The wires slope from either side of the frame to form an inverted bottomless triangle with the balls. They also help limit the movement of the pendulum to a single plane parallel to the frame bars.

The operation of the newtons cradle balance balls is as simple as their construction. When the ball at one end is lifted and released, it hits the following stationary ball and transfers all of its energy to it. Through a series of incredibly fast passes, energy is transferred to the ball at the other end, forcing the ball to swing upward. The terminal ball rises to a height equal to the first ball and falls to hit the stationary ball. Now, the energy and motion are both going in opposite directions, eventually pushing the first ball out again.