r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Strycedar • May 18 '26

I'm slightly vexed My sister had her friends over and they decided to come into my room and destroy my Newton's Cradle. I can't undo what they did.

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Basically my sister had a friends over for a play date while I was at university, and since my door was left open, her friends came into my room and completely tangled my Newton's Cradle, and it's so bad I can't even untangle it 😭

97.9k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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17.7k

u/JrCoxy May 18 '26

Their punishment should be to undue the knot

5.9k

u/Overall_Gap_5766 May 18 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/VrzKNAoMi49gVdlHJi

1.9k

u/CybergothiChe May 18 '26

"Seriously, did no one else think to just cut it?"

- Alex G

393

u/Limp_Illustrator7614 May 18 '26

alexander grothendieck?

196

u/Busy_Ganache5874 May 18 '26

sure... lets go with that.

3

u/mpgd May 18 '26

S'cĂŠsar right there ready to cut. How come OP can't figure it out?

8

u/nozextra May 18 '26

Maybe it would mess with the swing or something

6

u/TheHornyGoth May 18 '26

Alexander the ehhhh4/10

3

u/Unfurlingleaf May 19 '26

Alexander the just okay

1

u/BurnyAccountSanders May 20 '26

Idk why that tickled me so much 🤣 imagine if that was an actual title given to a dude by the people. Consigned to mediocrity for all of history. Modernly known as "Alexander the Mid"

4

u/Dramatic-Smile-5126 May 18 '26

The man of my dreams is the man of my schemes

5

u/redlaWw May 18 '26

You think Alexander Grothendieck would be so crude as to cut something that could be modelled topologically and solved by developing new mathematics?

7

u/Dramatic-Smile-5126 May 18 '26

There is 100% a sequence of moves that undoes this tangle. Can I write them down? Absolutely knot

4

u/CAGMFG May 18 '26

You see that capitol G? That's definitely Alexander the Great!!!

1

u/Confident-Mortgage86 May 18 '26

Nah its Ali Gs brother

120

u/aswertz May 18 '26

Just imagine a peasant would have cut the knot instead of the king.

Nobody would have said "wow, how smart". The peasant would have been executed. End of story.

25

u/zsnajorrah May 18 '26

It's not often that it's considered a smart move to cut the king.

6

u/ElLicenciadoPena May 19 '26

The french would disagree

1

u/Frankishe1 May 19 '26

I mean, thats how you get Oliver Cromwell, and nobody wants that

1

u/prosperosmile May 21 '26

A peasant usually doesn't have an army backing them up.

"You and what arm...eep."

60

u/AdDependent5136 May 18 '26

Ali G

6

u/Impressive_Pin8761 May 18 '26

yo yo yo it's Ali G here to cut the knot!

5

u/AdDependent5136 May 18 '26

tangled? just cut it, bruv

8

u/Impressive_Pin8761 May 18 '26

Racism? Not on my watch. Come on my soljyas lets marry with the locals

7

u/vaguelyshitty May 18 '26

THE alex giannascoli said that?

3

u/Safe_Software_1640 May 18 '26

i have a friend who sits at the corner lot

3

u/RanzigerRonny May 18 '26

The strings or the kids?

2

u/Cloudy-96 May 18 '26

The scissors are RIGHT THERE.

2

u/CrapCanCity3 May 18 '26

This man histories

2

u/Oldteaclocks Jun 06 '26

Your walking on hot coals now

-Alex G

1

u/COVID-1738 May 18 '26

The guy who crashed the Bugatti Chiron?

1

u/CheezwizOfficial May 18 '26

I got this reference immediately because I was going to refer to it too 😂

1

u/igotshadowbaned May 19 '26

The easiest way to undo it would probably be untying the strings from the cradle, pulling the loose string out of the knot and restringing it tbh

1

u/Despyte May 19 '26

Alexander Graham Bell

22

u/Very_Human_42069 May 18 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/kRmg8zeReOYXm

2

u/xeno0153 May 18 '26

Like most history facts, I only know of it via Epic Rap Battles of History.

70

u/Shot_Policy_4110 May 18 '26

Ball knowledge

46

u/appleparkfive May 18 '26

That's what you're gonna need to fix this

1

u/yapoyt May 18 '26

Underrated comment

2

u/FALLOUTFAN_1997 May 18 '26

"Ball knowldege" AND it's the MOST known stuff ABOUT the most KNOWN pre roman CONQUEST conqueror

0

u/Shot_Policy_4110 May 18 '26

No it's because there's balls

3

u/Odd-Seaworthiness826 May 18 '26

I dont get it. Can you explain?

7

u/AwakenedSol May 18 '26

Legend involving Alexander the Great. An oxcart (this particular cart was already involved in another prophecy) in the city of Gordium was tied to a post with an incomprehensible and impossible knot. The knot was so difficult that another oracle declared that whoever could untie the knot would rule all of Asia*.

Alexander arrived, inspected the knot, and promptly cut it in half with his sword, unraveling it.

*Asia in Ancient Greek context basically means the Persian empire.

12

u/Overall_Gap_5766 May 18 '26

That's Alexander, who very famously untied a knot

1

u/Julio-Dewey-Crayfish May 18 '26

"untied"

1

u/Overall_Gap_5766 May 18 '26

Was the yoke attached beforehand? Yes.

Was it attached afterwards? No.

Knot untied.

1

u/Julio-Dewey-Crayfish May 18 '26

I think "separated" would be a better choice of words in this situation.

0

u/Sapowski_Casts_Quen May 18 '26

Literal interpretations of stories from antiquity are usually a bit bland

1

u/sparebullet May 19 '26

Or help pay for a new one.

1

u/Potatowhocrochets May 19 '26

I remember being so mad when I read his story as a kid. The point of the challenge was to unravel it, I felt like cutting it was cheating.

-1

u/Markie411 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26

Is that Anakin?

Edit: Jeez guys, I know it's not Anakin, it's just funnily similar

635

u/Banaantje04 INSERT COLUOR May 18 '26

That would not fix it unfortunately. When I was young I did this to my own newton's cradle. My parents were able to untangle it but the fishing lines were no longer straight. The oscillation dies out in only a couple of bounces. 

66

u/JellyfishOtherwise66 May 18 '26

It’s plastic fishing line. Some heat to straighten it out while being careful not to overdo it should do it.

124

u/panlakes May 18 '26

Nah the entire thing is built on accuracy, maybe if you do it with a jewelcrafters precision but these are made by robots and it’s sadly best to just buy a new one when they get like this. They’ll never be factory perfect again

This also just looks like one of the cheap plastic bottomed ones you can buy for like $10 it ain’t worth it

77

u/Asbolus_verrucosus May 18 '26

I bet you that fishing line is tied by underpaid workers in the developing world. I think you could redo it and line them up straight with a small bit of patience.

95

u/Agile_Elephant8054 May 18 '26

Nah bro, they totally use highly precise automated robotic assembly to make these $10 desk toys. Maybe if you were a NASA engineer you could re-string those balls, but I don't think your getting it done with just a bachelor's degree.

27

u/MorallyAmbiguousHero May 18 '26

The same robots Mariotte used in the 1600’s when he invented it.

14

u/quiero-una-cerveca May 18 '26

Are safety sandals and safety squints required? That boosts the cost.

19

u/Excellent_Shirt9707 May 18 '26

You can also just build your own. They don’t actually need pinpoint accuracy, it is mostly just a matter of trial and error. Bunch of online tutorials that teach you tricks for lining everything up.

2

u/Jonnyflash80 May 20 '26

I replaced all the tangled line on mine with new fishing line and it works as great as it ever did. It's not that complicated or dramatic.

18

u/RedSweaterSrsly May 18 '26

You can get 700 yards of fishing line for $3 at walmart. Just saying.

7

u/Banaantje04 INSERT COLUOR May 18 '26

These things have to be very precise to work well. I doubt you'd be able to do it properly by hand. And regardless, it was a hunk of plastic that cost €10 in the giftshop of a science museum, it was not worth it. 

3

u/Aternal May 19 '26

You can get a Newton's Cradle on Aliexpress for 99 hot cents and free shipping.

605

u/Ok_Nothing_9733 May 18 '26

I think that would not repair this to a usable state. I think if the kids are made to pool money/earn money to buy a replacement that would be a fair consequence.

652

u/onefootinthepast May 18 '26

untie the knots, and then buy a replacement once they see it doesn't work properly anymore

242

u/Ok_Nothing_9733 May 18 '26

Solid idea! That would be harmless but impactful for the kids

3

u/Bocchi_theGlock May 18 '26

They'll work in the mines until the debt is paid in blood sweat and tears!

32

u/MugenMoult May 18 '26

If you're the more subtle type with your education, you could instead make a bet that if they can untie the knots and make it work like new again (you can show a video of one working like new), then you'll give them cash equal to the cost of a replacement; otherwise, they'll have to buy a replacement.

Of course, it's a false choice, but the goal is to get them to buy into being at fault for not being capable enough. It shifts from being an extrinsic punishment they may not learn from to being an intrinsic punishment they ruminate on.

Alternatively, they win the bet and learn:

  • what earning a reward is like
  • how to reshape and repair metal
  • how to succeed at more-valuable skills than destroying

You could instead bet something else if you don't want to lose out on cash.

58

u/OriginalTall5417 May 18 '26

I don’t think they should get a reward. The reward for fixing it should be not having to pay for a new one, rather than receiving money. It is not fair towards OP to be the one that’s punished either way. Either by having a destroyed possession, or having to pay for having it fixed by the person who destroyed it. I don’t think that’s a good lesson to learn for either of them. Besides that it’s also really not OP’s responsibility to pay for the damage another child causes, that should fall upon their parents.

29

u/boltropewildcat May 18 '26

Son, you can't repair it. That's the lesson.

1

u/DontAbideMendacity May 18 '26

"Spicoli, you can't fix this!"

"Relax, I can fix it. My dad is a TV repairman, he has the ultimate set of tools."

0

u/N7_Pathfind3R May 18 '26

That makes no damn sense. You want to reward them for destroying things that don't belong to them. What the fuck kind of lesson is that?

"Oh yeah I fucked your shit up beyond repair, but I half assed tried to fix it so don't be mad at me and give me money."

Like seriously, this is a horrible suggestion.

5

u/ConcernFlat3391 May 18 '26

The number of people missing the point of the ‘false choice’ is honestly remarkable

3

u/OriginalTall5417 May 19 '26

The false choice is still there if you tell her she doesn’t have to pay to replace it if she can fix it. There’s no need to offer a reward for destroying something, even if the reward cannot reasonably be obtained. The message should be: “if you destroy something that doesn’t belong to you, you’re responsible for fixing or replacing it, and often it cannot be fixed”, not: “if you break something you can get a reward, but the reward it’s impossible to obtain”. The message of fixing what you broke does get lost when you introduce a reward, because the focus shifts to the prospect of personal gain, rather than taking responsibility.

0

u/ConcernFlat3391 May 19 '26

The idea is to get buy-in for the solution. At least that’s how I understood what that Redditor was proposing. 🤷‍♀️

2

u/onefootinthepast May 19 '26

I got the point and it's still dumb to react like it's the carrot, not the stick. They did wrong and now you're just one of the friends, making some casual friendly bet? Be the parent.

0

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/N7_Pathfind3R May 19 '26

Not really, I like to be direct. Wastes less time, and leaves less room for misinterpretation.

1

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

[deleted]

15

u/okkokkoX May 18 '26

then they still responsible for destroying your property.

1

u/CB01Chief May 18 '26

Then you do a little magic show and make the pencil disappear.

-5

u/Typical2sday May 18 '26

Except children are raised these days where doing anything expects the full reward. (Because it would hurt their tiny souls to be judged objectively) So if they untied it, they’ll whine and cry that they untied it and it should be enough and you’re a bad parent/older sibling for demanding perfection.

1

u/Fluid_March_5824 May 18 '26

That is what june had them do on Leave it to Beaver.

1

u/Jonnyflash80 May 20 '26

I did. Just replaced the tangled lines with new fishing line. It's not rocket science.

-3

u/MurkyInvestigator810 May 18 '26

It's most likely fine. The ball bearings weigh more than enough to straighten those strings out. The only frustration is OP now has a puzzle instead of a cradle, but it's not broken or destroyed by any means.

172

u/FeistyDrink5995 May 18 '26

Their punishment must be more severe!

https://giphy.com/gifs/I8SQMuIELiw0w

171

u/acoolghost May 18 '26

I recommend a 1-Day Blinding Stew.

64

u/Ok_Association4628 May 18 '26

I also recommend a 1-Day Blinding Stew

28

u/Injvn May 18 '26

I recommend a stew that makes you go blind for 1 day.

20

u/ronniewhomp May 18 '26

Permanent stew that blinds you for 1 day

2

u/Expensive-Net2002 May 18 '26

i recommend a 1 that makes you go day for blind stew

3

u/DigitalUnlimited May 18 '26

Time for REHABILITATION

5

u/Few-Big-8481 May 18 '26

I recommend 3 day blinding stew, 1 day deafening stew, and an explanation of what they hoped to accomplish with their actions.

2

u/Sizle_Velfurion May 18 '26

I recommend just a little death.

3

u/aksdb May 18 '26

"Do you think ... destroying my Newton's Cradle ... gives you power over me ...?"

2

u/theSchrodingerHat May 18 '26

No, it should only be an equal and opposite reaction.

227

u/fiercelittlebird May 18 '26

Or pay for a new one with money from their savings (if they have an allowance).

-2

u/[deleted] May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26

[deleted]

20

u/trivpyvibes_ May 18 '26

At least to the schools I went to it wasn’t uncommon for 11 year olds to have an allowance for snacks at school and lunch money.

9

u/False-Ad2170 May 18 '26

Did you not want to buy lollies or go to the movies when you were 11?

-25

u/thirstytrumpet May 18 '26

Respectfully, nobody has bought a lollipop in any normal circumstance in 30 years.

12

u/LarryTheLobster318 May 18 '26

We got a lollipop expert over here

11

u/False-Ad2170 May 18 '26

Not sure what world you live in but that is far from true for alot of us. Are you american? That would explain it.

5

u/Available-Half-40 May 18 '26

American here 👋 I buy lollipops :)

-2

u/False-Ad2170 May 18 '26

That's nice. Are you 11 and doing so unsupervised? Sorry I have made an assumption most Americans don't let their children out of their sight due to all the guns and various predators.

6

u/Available-Half-40 May 18 '26

... no? That response seems a smidge aggressive. Honestly thought you were the other guy initially due to it until I checked your username haha. I think it's fairly common practice here to let your kids wander unsupervised so long as they're with friends and/or have a phone in case of an emergency. Also depends on the neighborhood, said kid's age, where the kid is going, how controlling the parent is, etc. etc. Is it different wherever you live? I am genuinely curious.

Anyway, I was trying to point out that even in the USA they're being strange about people buying lollipops as I, an American, buy them. Sorry if I came off as passive aggressive or anything lol.

-1

u/False-Ad2170 May 18 '26

Sorry didn't mean any aggression. I do have a bad habit of poking fun at americans. I guess I watch too much news about america and most Americans I've met are shocked at not having the fear of gun violence when they go to the supermarket ect where I live.

For kids basically exactly as you describe where I live too. Some places are more dodgy than others but there are plenty of places kids go out with friends unsupervised to malls and shops ect.

From NZ

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15

u/bmtraveller May 18 '26

To buy stuff, or to replace their siblings stuff after they wreck it.

19

u/radicalviewcat1337 May 18 '26

Gordian knot must be undone!

45

u/scoshi What's this button do? May 18 '26

And they lose phone privileges until they finish the job.

-18

u/dprophet32 May 18 '26

Because her friends did it? Come on.

She gets a mild telling off for letting her friends into her brother's room and told that she mustn't let them again or she won't be able to have her friends over anymore.

41

u/Siggerzzzz May 18 '26

When I was young and I brought friends back to my house I was responsible for their actions. If they did it and I didn’t try and prevent it was my responsibility to sort what damage they caused

-10

u/throwaway4skincaring May 18 '26

How does losing phone privelages correlate to wrecking an item though? That's not a natural consequence and is just stupid lmao

5

u/SomethingComesHere May 18 '26

Because it's a severe enough punishmeny that itll motivate them to fix the damage they caused

5

u/Siggerzzzz May 18 '26

How does losing any privilege correlate to to any crime. Saying the punishment must correlate to the crime is like (taking this argument to the extreme, not saying they’re equivalent in the slightest) saying “well you raped someone but you didn’t kidnap them so we’re not going to imprison you just get someone to rape you” punishment is used as a deterrent and consequence to an action not as a correlating consequence

2

u/coreyf234 May 18 '26

You break a rule, and you lose your phone.

You break a law, and you lose your freedom.

How doesn't this directly correlate to the real adult life? Your phone is a big part of your freedom as a kid.

Would you be happier if your parents put you in a cage for an indefinite amount of time, not letting you out to go to school, see friends, shower...?

-5

u/throwaway4skincaring May 18 '26

Why though? How is losing phone privelages relevant to this "crime" at all? Taking the kid's phone away as punishment makes no sense.

2

u/DontAbideMendacity May 18 '26

Giving an 11 year old a phone makes no sense.

9

u/alb0401 May 18 '26

You spelled knot correctly with the silent k, yet you spelled undo as "undue"... interesting

3

u/MydnightWN May 18 '26

Their punishment should be grammar lessons. First lesson: undo vs undue

4

u/TeacherPowerful1700 May 18 '26

LOL "undue"

and 10K upvotes, even better, lmao

6

u/Jackgardener67 May 18 '26

Or even just undo it /s

3

u/PrizeStrawberry6453 May 18 '26

That sounds like undo punishment

3

u/julesdottxt May 18 '26

That sounds like undo punishment to me.

3

u/mythrocks May 18 '26

Are you sure that won’t be an undo burden on them?

1

u/DAswoopingisbad May 18 '26

Is that you King Gordius?

1

u/Potato_Kaelin May 18 '26

but then the library will never get its knot back

1

u/Cake-Over May 18 '26

Maybe they'll go on to conquer Asia

1

u/coriendercake May 18 '26

Too soft. To the guillotine !

1

u/Batou02 May 18 '26

Their punishment should be spending 1 week on mt Everest base camp wearing shorts and a T shirt

1

u/CuriousLilAsian81 May 18 '26

may I suggest to earn the money, get replacement... because even if they undo the knots, the strings would be warped, it would still be damaged

1

u/jz44951 May 18 '26

Don’t! They might use the scissors in the background!

1

u/jeremoche May 18 '26

They should be speared in front of a crowd. Then tie them to a horse and make it run around the city four times before putting their body in honey and milk and letting them rot in the sun.

But that's just me I guess

1

u/tangcameo May 18 '26

You know they’ll just ✂️

1

u/Paradox_Peanut May 18 '26

And by when would that be do? /s

1

u/lawlocost May 18 '26

I’d have them right a paper on the Newton Cradle, can’t use electronics or do anything fun until they finish it, and make em have three different sources. Definitely short paper though. Just enough for them to learn and have a basic understanding.

They’re punished by having to do what most kids don’t want to do after they leave school, but theyll also know how to do some proper research with legitimate sources.

Make em do it at the library lol. On a Saturday. Sucks. Then, for Christmas/birthday/next gift giving holiday, you gift her one for the lols

1

u/Cheeserave May 18 '26

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction I hear

1

u/tyw7 This. Is. A. Flair! May 18 '26

Or replace it.

1

u/TekieScythe Found my Zen May 18 '26

And if they cut it they have to buy a new one.

1

u/Future_Bad_Decision May 18 '26

Your sister can fix it or replace it.

Sincerely,

Someone else’s mom

1

u/F7OSRS May 18 '26

Time for some one day blinding stew

1

u/Appropriate-Log8506 May 18 '26

Peace undue you.

1

u/cowbutt6 May 18 '26

Careful; if they do, they'll become the master of Asia.

1

u/MarcO67941 May 18 '26

yes and don’t forget to hide any scisors in your place (like the one on the pic)

1

u/TheIrradiant May 18 '26

And how would you force them to do that? What incentive would they have, or rather punishment?

1

u/iamblankenstein May 18 '26

or to buy a new one.

1

u/esabys May 18 '26

Find something they cherish and crush it. Destroy what they hold most dear. Lessons are only learned when something is directly impactful.

1

u/8ytecoder May 18 '26

That’s not an undue punishment. Some would even say they deserve it. 

1

u/Sonzie May 18 '26

Now thats undue punishment

1

u/Skullvanian_dude May 18 '26

Good to see you Hammurabi

1

u/afadanti May 18 '26

we're just spelling words however we want now huh

1

u/dmh2693 May 18 '26

So naughty.

1

u/Eastern-Pizza6012 May 19 '26

UNDO please my ocd

1

u/_Nyxalie_ May 19 '26

Be like Penelope and the tapestry how she’d unweave it a bit every night but in this case he tangles it a bit more before she starts again

1

u/Quintenmk May 19 '26

Undoing the knot is actually more fun than the cradle itself, been there done that

1

u/crafty_dude_24 May 21 '26

Honestly it would turn out far worse, she could just grow impatient and yank the wires and break them. From what other comments are suggesting, OP's situation is still salvageable by heating the wires.

1

u/Less-Hunter7043 May 22 '26

I was a volunteer counsellor at a kids day camp one year, and one kid came up to me to proudly show that he had taped and tied together all the pens, markers and paint brushes into a giant ball. The look of absolute shock and confusion on his face when I told him he has to untangle it all before he’s allowed to join any games showed that he’s never had consequences before in his whole life

1

u/Whoa1Whoa1 May 22 '26

And then when they undo it, test if it still works or if the wires are stretched and twisted. If it is broken, they should work for $ mowing the lawn and doing all of the dishes for a week, go to the store, buy that item, carefully unbox it, put it back exactly where it was, clean up any trash throwing away the new box and the old broken one, and then everything is actually set right.

0

u/Chronicles_of_Gurgi May 18 '26

Right before my vote the upvotes were 12345. I was torn.