Frequency of Oscillation for Differently Massed Balls

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the frequency of oscillation in a Newton's cradle with balls of varying masses. It is established that despite the differences in mass, all balls exhibit the same frequency of oscillation due to their identical lengths as simple pendulums. The period of a pendulum is determined solely by its length, not its mass, which explains why the balls meet in the middle simultaneously after being displaced. This principle is crucial for understanding the dynamics of pendulum motion in systems with varying mass.

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adamg
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consider a Newtons cradle consisting of decreasing masses from the left to the right. if the left most ball is displaced and collides with the others, we end up with a fan like picture whereby the lightest ball, furthest to the right, has the greatest velocity, and the largest ball has the least velocity. The balls go up, reverse their motion, and then all meet in the middle again. the collisions are reversed, and all balls except the largest stop dead. What i am wondering is how come the frequency of oscillation for all the balls is the same, i.e. they meet again in the middle, when their masses are different. Thanks.
 
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All of the balls are simple pendulums of the same length. The period of a pendulum does not depend on mass, only length.
 
ahh, thanks a lot for that
 

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