Is Newton's 3rd Law valid here?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the validity of Newton's 3rd Law of Motion in the context of a bird flying and a man chasing it. Participants explore the implications of relative velocities and forces acting on both the bird and the man, examining whether the observed interactions conform to Newtonian mechanics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes a scenario where a bird moves with velocity 'u' and a man chases it with velocity 'v', questioning if the bird's wing flapping and the air reaction violate Newton's 3rd Law.
  • Another participant expresses confusion regarding the interpretation of the 3rd Law and the concept of equal and opposite forces in the context provided.
  • A different perspective is offered, suggesting that the forces exerted by the bird's wings and the air are independent of the man, focusing on the lift generated by the bird's flapping.
  • One participant notes that the air reacts to the bird's wings with a force that indicates momentum transfer, suggesting a complex interaction that may not align neatly with Newton's 3rd Law.
  • Another participant states that air resistance is proportional to the relative velocity between the bird and the surrounding air, asserting that this relationship holds true regardless of the observer's frame of reference.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not appear to reach a consensus on the application of Newton's 3rd Law in this scenario, with multiple competing views and interpretations remaining unresolved.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved assumptions regarding the definitions of forces and the frames of reference being used, as well as the implications of relative motion on the application of Newton's laws.

souvik shome
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Let us assume a bird to be moving in a straight line with a velocity 'u' and a man to be chasing it with a velocity 'v' in the same direction. If v>u in magnitude, then the man will observe the bird to be moving towards him with a velocity 'v-u' in magnitude. However, the bird will still be flapping it's wings towards him.
Now as he is moving with a constant velocity (or in other words, as he is in an inertial frame of reference), he should find Newton's laws of motion to be valid. But from his point of view, the action of the wings of the bird and the reaction of the air on the bird appear to be in the same direction. Isn't this against Newton's 3rd law of motion?
 
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How do you perceive the 3rd law? I'm confused as to your scenario. And your interpretation of 'equal force in opposite direction' to the force being applied..
 
souvik shome said:
Let us assume a bird to be moving in a straight line with a velocity 'u' and a man to be chasing it with a velocity 'v' in the same direction. If v>u in magnitude, then the man will observe the bird to be moving towards him with a velocity 'v-u' in magnitude. However, the bird will still be flapping it's wings towards him.
Now as he is moving with a constant velocity (or in other words, as he is in an inertial frame of reference), he should find Newton's laws of motion to be valid. But from his point of view, the action of the wings of the bird and the reaction of the air on the bird appear to be in the same direction. Isn't this against Newton's 3rd law of motion?

Ok let me try to understand this..

If the man runs towards the bird at a higher speed, he will outrun the bird. So now the bird is chasing after the man.

If the bird is flying through the air, the force of the muscles flapping exerts the same force against the air through which the bird is flying. The air exerts same force on the bird, in opposite direction to the wings, thus creating lift, which is perpendicular to the bird.

The man exerts force on the air as he is running against it, while the air exerts the same amount of force against the man creating drag, which is parallel to the man

The man and the bird have nothing to do with each other, other than the fact that this air is exerting same force, of different magnitudes and directions, on a man and the bird
 
Last edited:
souvik shome said:
Let us assume a bird to be moving in a straight line with a velocity 'u' and a man to be chasing it with a velocity 'v' in the same direction. If v>u in magnitude, then the man will observe the bird to be moving towards him with a velocity 'v-u' in magnitude. However, the bird will still be flapping it's wings towards him.
Now as he is moving with a constant velocity (or in other words, as he is in an inertial frame of reference), he should find Newton's laws of motion to be valid. But from his point of view, the action of the wings of the bird and the reaction of the air on the bird appear to be in the same direction. Isn't this against Newton's 3rd law of motion?

The air reacting to the wings of the bird will be moving toward the 'chaser' at a faster velocity than the surrounding air which has not been disturbed. This indicates a force has been applied to it (more technically a very quick transfer of momentum, as velocity is constant) by the bird's wings.
 
Air resistance is proportional to the relative velocity difference between the bird's motion and the surrounding air.

This is an invariant, irrespective of the velocity V the bird happens to have in some inertial observer system.
 

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