Newton’s cradle in billiards and croquet
When an object collides head-on and in line with two balls in contact, the outcome is not generally easy to predict. We consider three simple examples. One is Newton’s cradle with only three balls. Another is a billiard cue colliding with the two balls. The third is a croquet shot where a mallet collides with the two balls. The outcome in each case is different since it depends on the mass of the colliding object.
//styles/favicon/apple-touch-icon.png
NASA/ADS
Abstract

When an object collides head-on and in line with two balls in contact, the outcome is not generally easy to predict. We consider three simple examples. One is Newton’s cradle with only three balls. Another is a billiard cue colliding with the two balls. The third is a croquet shot where a mallet collides with the two balls. The outcome in each case is different since it depends on the mass of the colliding object.