Newton's Third Law of Motion | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Key Insights

• 👮 Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
• 👮 This law applies to both everyday situations and larger scale scenarios.

Transcript

Now we're ready for Newton's third law. And Newton's third law, in some ways, I think is the most fun because it's-- at least it was to me, the least intuitive of all the laws. But once you really kind of understand it a lot of things start to make sense. So Newton's third law essentially says-- actually, I can tell you kind of what you might have ... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What does Newton's third law state?

Newton's third law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. When one object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal force in the opposite direction.

Q: Can you provide some examples of Newton's third law in action?

Examples of Newton's third law include a fist punching a face, where the force exerted by the fist is met with an equal force exerted by the face in the opposite direction. Another example is a basketball being pushed by a hand; the basketball pushes back on the hand with the same force.

Q: Why is Newton's third law considered non-intuitive?

Newton's third law can be non-intuitive because it is not always apparent that when an object exerts a force on another, an equal force is exerted in the opposite direction. It may seem like one object is doing all the "work," but in reality, both objects experience equal and opposite forces.

Q: How does Newton's third law apply to larger scale scenarios, such as the Earth and a person standing on it?

Newton's third law applies to the Earth and a person standing on it by stating that the force with which the Earth pulls the person down is met with an equal force exerted by the person on the Earth. This is why the person does not fall through the Earth.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Newton's third law states that when an object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal force in the opposite direction.

• This law can be observed in everyday situations, such as a fist punching a face or a tree pushing back when pressure is applied.

• The law also applies to larger scale scenarios, such as the force between a person standing on the Earth and the Earth itself.