I have three balls. Two are blue and the third is red. I bought them from a street-vendor a long time ago. They are pretty solid, as if made from some sort of ceramic, but when struck together they produce a very loud bang, because some sort of impact-sensitive explosive is incorporated into the material of which they're made. I have used them many, many times and there is no sign of their explosive power diminishing, so I assume that they contain an extremely large number of very small explosive particles.

It occurs to me that this could be the answer to the disappointment which is inherent in Newton's Cradle - namely that it goes click-clack for a dozen or so times, then just sighs and stops.

If my balls were attached to wires (and I'm sure many of you would oblige), they could form a sort of perpetual Newton's Cradle, kept going by regular small detonations.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 12 2018

//an extremely large number of very small explosive particles //

Indeed. But those hydrogen atoms are chemically bonded to other atoms at the moment and you'd need some kind of fission device to start the reaction.
-- RayfordSteele, Nov 12 2018


// If my balls were attached to wires (and I'm sure many of you would oblige), they could form a sort of perpetual Newton's Cradle, kept going by regular small detonations. //

That's an ugly, ugly mental image that's going to take a lot of effort to disperse ...
-- 8th of 7, Nov 12 2018



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