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You Are: Home > Activities > Cool things to make and do > Build a Newton's Cradle

Materials

• Shoe box
• 5 glass marbles (same size)
• 5 small beads (same size)
• Paper clip
• Cotton thread
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun (adult supervision recommended)
• 10 pegs

What to do

1. Cut a rectangle shape from all four sides of the shoe box, leaving a 2.5cm frame around the top and sides.
2. Squeeze a small amount of hot glue onto a marble.
3. Bend one edge of the paper clip out to make an 'L' shape. Poke the paper clip through the hole in a small bead and carefully place the side of the bead into the glue. Remove the paper clip.
4. Repeat step 2 and 3 for the remaining marbles.
5. Cut five lengths of cotton thread approx. 50cm long.
6. Fold a cotton length in half and thread it through the hole in the bead. Now thread the cut end of the cotton back through the loop end and carefully pull tight.
7. Attach the remaining cotton threads to the marbles.
8. Measure and mark the middle of the two long supports. Now measure the width of a marble and mark two lots of that measurement on either side of your middle mark.
9. Rule a line down the centre of the shoe box. This line will help you later with aligning the marbles, so make sure it is accurate.
10. Place the first marble in the centre of the shoe box, wrap the cotton thread around the opposite edges of the supports (lining up with the middle mark) and place a peg on each thread to hold in position.
11. Repeat with the remaining marbles.
12. Take your time to carefully adjust the thread lengths, until all the marbles are touching, the same height and in a straight line.
13. Put some hot glue on the cotton thread (on the outside of the support) to secure the threads in place. Remove the pegs.

Pull back the first marble, let it go and see what happens! The energy and momentum from the first marble will transfer through the next three and cause the marble at the other end to swing out.