Newton’s cradle: conservation of momentum
One ball strikes a row and exactly one ball swings out from the other end. An interactive Newton’s cradle — a lesson on momentum and energy.
Interactive experiments for kids, students and teachers. Run each one right on the page, then open a copy in the Tymora editor and change mass, friction, elasticity or gravity. Every experiment comes with discussion questions and a version to try at home.
One ball strikes a row and exactly one ball swings out from the other end. An interactive Newton’s cradle — a lesson on momentum and energy.
Gears with 12 and 24 teeth: the small one spins twice as fast, reversed. A gears experiment for kids 8+.
Belt and chain like on a bike: rotation keeps its direction, speed depends on wheel size. For kids 8+.
Balls fall through rows of pegs and pile up in a bell shape. Hands-on probability and the normal distribution for kids 9+.
A cue ball breaks a rack on a top-down table. Momentum passes from ball to ball — a collision experiment for kids 8+.
Two stacks of books: one with a careful overhang and one with too much. One stands, the other falls — the center of mass decides.
A disk spins up with three balls at different distances from the center. Which flies off first? A rotation and friction experiment for kids 9+.
Eight pendulums of different lengths swing together: first a travelling wave, then chaos, then order again. A 3D experiment for kids 9+.
A ball rolls down a ramp and bumps a sensor, which turns green and removes the support under a second ball. Built from blocks.
A ball drops onto a button — it turns green and the carousel motor starts. Space pushes the ball again.
Two ladders lean on a wall: the steep one stands, the shallow one slides. Find out why ladders are set at about 15°.
Identical salt shakers stand on trays tilted 10°, 20° and 35°. Find the angle where static friction no longer holds.
A wheel rolls into a half-round ramp and climbs the other side almost to the same height. A chart shows the energy.
Two carts with dummies hit a barrier. The belted one stays put, the unbelted one flies forward.
Ice, wood and foam in sea water. Only the tip of an iceberg shows above water — about one ninth.
One, two and three 4.5 V batteries power identical 6 V bulbs. One glows dim, two bright, three burns the bulb.
Three lamps are wired in parallel, each with its own switch. Click them — the other lamps keep glowing as before.
Two cranes hold the same load. One has a counterweight and its jib stays level; the other’s jib tips over.
Weights of 0.5, 1 and 2 kg and one unknown hang on identical springs. A spring stretches in proportion to the load, so the ruler reveals the mass.
A forearm holds 1 kg and 3 kg in the hand. The muscle attaches close to the elbow, so it pulls several times harder than the load weighs.
Two identical cars drive over bumps: the top one has only a spring, the bottom one a spring and a shock absorber. The top body bounces for a long time, the bottom one settles quickly.
Three identical cannons with springs of different stiffness fire at 45°. The stiffer the spring, the farther the ball goes: twice as stiff, roughly twice as far.
Three doors get the same push. With no closer the door stays open, with a spring only it rushes back and bangs, and with a spring and a damper it closes smoothly.
Two machines spin a drum with laundry. In the left one the load is spread evenly and the machine stays, in the right one it is in a single lump and the machine creeps across the floor.
One motor spins two beaters through gears: they turn against each other twice as fast as the motor and whip the “dough” in the bowl.
Three identical cars with locked wheels slide at the same speed on dry asphalt, wet asphalt and ice. The stopping distance on ice is eight times longer.
A platform tilts slowly. The tall narrow bus tips first, the low one second, the wide one last. A bus in a turn behaves the same way.
The platform sways from side to side. A tower of ten cubes falls almost at once while a pyramid of ten cubes stands.