Asked by Mason

Newton’s cradle is a contraption where metal balls hang from a frame. When one ball is pulled and released, the collision causes one ball on the opposite end to be released.

Which type of force can decrease the total momentum of this system?

(1 point)
Responses

magnetic force
magnetic force

electrostatic force
electrostatic force

friction force
friction force

strong nuclear force
strong nuclear force

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Friction force.

Reason: momentum of a closed (isolated) system is conserved; dissipative external forces like friction (air resistance, pivot friction) exert net external impulses that remove momentum (and convert mechanical energy to heat). Magnetic/electrostatic forces are conservative/internal unless an external field is applied, and the strong force is irrelevant at this scale.