Newton's cradle

plural Newton's cradles · alternative Newton's Cradle

1. A device that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy via a series of swinging spheres. When a sphere at one end is lifted and released, the resulting force travels through the line and pushes the opposite sphere upward, repeating the process as it swings back down.

   Synonyms: Executive Ball Clicker

plural Newton's Cradles

1. alternativeAlternative form of Newton's cradle.

   Continuous Collisions of Newton's Cradle (Executive Ball Clicker) in CMS

   2010, Akizo Kobayashi, Fumiko Okiharu, “Active Learning Approaches by Visualizing ICT Devices with Milliseconds Resolution for Deeper Understanding in Physics”, in AIP Conference Proceedings, volume 134

   3 more examples

   When executive desk toys first began to appear, they tended to be ornamental gadgets made from such endlessly fascinating materials as sand and magnets. The Newton's Cradle or "Executive Ball Clicker," which demonstrates physics principles of momentum and energy, has been sold since the 1960s.

   2012 September 4, Rose Hoare, “Toy story: Office playthings come of age”, in CNN International

   Whether you know it as Newton's Cradle or the Executive Ball Clicker, chances are you've seen the educational desk toy that seems to defy explanation.

   2013 August 28, Elizabeth Palermo, “How Does Newton's Cradle Work?”, in Live Science

   Picture a Newtons Cradle, or as some call it an Executive Ball Clicker, sitting on someones desk, clicking and clacking away.

   2016, Felipe Sostre, A liberation-oriented theological paradigm for evangelicals and sexual minorities caught at the nexus of orthodoxy and identity (MA thesis, Empire State College: SUNY)