Bestsellers - the products that most often end up on playgrounds.
Choose a theme and you will see all the matching equipment.
Choose where the playground will stand. A list of equipment that works well there will open.
Every piece of equipment can be personalised - from bespoke graphics and content to simply a change of colour.
Optics, illusions and experiments
The N05 Newton's Cradle is a piece of experiment equipment for the playground: a row of steel balls hung in a single line. The balls hang on stainless steel cables, so a child can pull back the end ball, let it go and count how many fly out at the other end. It works well in schools, education centres, hospitals and public spaces.
Product description
It all starts with a single ball. The end ball, pulled back and released, strikes its neighbour, and a portion of motion jumps from ball to ball along the whole row. The balls in the middle barely move, because they instantly pass on what they received, so the last ball flies out from the opposite end, although nobody touched it. How do we know this is physics and not a trick? Isaac Newton described experiments with colliding suspended balls in his ‘Principia’ of 1687, and the device that illustrates them bears his name. It usually stands on a desk and fits in the palm of a hand - here it has grown to playground size.
For the same experiment to be repeatable for years, the cradle has to withstand thousands of impacts and every kind of weather. The balls and their suspension are made of metal that does not rust, and the supporting frame is galvanised and powder-coated - the coating protects the steel from moisture, frost and sun. The equipment works outdoors all year round and is covered by a warranty. The balls move only by the child's hand, so the experiment works without electricity, without water and without materials that need topping up. The manufacturer is EduPlayground, and the cradle is made in Poland.
Pull back one ball - one comes back. Pull back two - two come back, no more and no fewer. The rule is visible from the first try, so the child meets the law of conservation of momentum and energy long before hearing its name in a physics lesson.
The most interesting part is what you don't see at first glance: the middle of the row stays still, even though the motion passes through it. Noticing this takes careful watching, and the clicking of the balls, quieter with every bounce, tells you when the motion is coming to an end.
Before releasing the balls, the child can say out loud how many will come back - and then check whether they were right. Hypothesis, test and conclusion is the same order used in every scientific experiment, only in a version that lasts a few seconds.
Four elements: the balls, their suspension, the frame and the anchoring - each is responsible for a different part of the experiment.
The balls hang in a single row and touch each other at the sides. This contact is what makes the experiment work: the impulse passes from ball to ball only when the row is tight and set in one line. Stainless steel withstands repeated impacts and does not corrode.
The balls hang on stainless steel cables, not in rigid holders. The suspension lets each of them swing freely, and the less motion friction takes away at the fixing points, the longer the cradle keeps clicking after one ball is released.
The steel frame holds the row of balls at a fixed height, so the whole row hangs tight and evenly in one line - and without this the experiment stops coming out the same way every time.
The frame stands on anchors set in the ground and concreted in, and they are bolted to the equipment. The anchoring transfers the impacts of the balls into the ground, so the cradle does not shift or work loose in everyday use.
Specification
| Catalogue no. | N05 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | length 196 cm | width: 55 cm | height: 185 cm |
| Safety zone | 3.55x4.96m |
| Children's age | from 7 years |
| Material | Steel frame, stainless steel balls, stainless steel cables. Main structural profile: closed profile (80x80x2mm), black steel. |
| Protection | Galvanised, powder-coated frame |
| Colour | Green (RAL 6018) |
| Installation | Galvanised steel anchors L=75 cm, set in the ground and concreted in; bolted connection to the equipment. |
| Safety standard | EN 1176-1 |
| Main category | Optics, illusions and experiments |
| Country of origin | Poland |
| Warranty | 2 years |
For tenders
Full design pack for tenders:
Gallery
Related products
Before it is installed
Before the cradle goes into the playground, our adviser will help you plan all the technical details. We are with you at every stage of the project, sharing our knowledge and experience so that the equipment serves children as well as possible for many years.
Export
Urszula Brzóska (Mrs.)
WhatsApp +48 698 728 005u.brzoska@npz.edu.plWrite to me on FacebookHead of Export Department
Customer service office: office@eduplayground.eu
Catalogue to download
Once you enter your email address, the catalogue of science, sensory and therapeutic equipment is sent to your inbox.
Cookie consent
With your consent, this site uses cookies for statistics and advertising. Without consent, the site works fully. You can change your choice at any time via the ‘Cookie settings’ link in the footer. Privacy policy
