How Does Newton's 3rd Law Apply When Pushing a Wall?

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SUMMARY

Newton's 3rd Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the context of a person pushing against a wall, the person exerts an applied force (F_{A}) on the wall, while the wall exerts an equal and opposite reaction force back on the person. This interaction exemplifies the law's principle, demonstrating that the forces involved are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. Additionally, the discussion highlights the need to consider other forces such as gravitational, frictional, and normal forces acting on the person.

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Homework Statement



A person is pushing against a wall, which just refuses to move. Fully and clearly describe how Newton's 3rd Law of Motion is affecting the person.

Homework Equations



Newton's 3rd Law of motion is defined as "If one object exerts an action force on a second object, the second object will exert a reaction force on the first object that is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the applied force"


The Attempt at a Solution



The person exerts an applied force of F_{A} on the wall. The wall exerts a reaction force back on the person that is equal in magnitude to the applied force.

There should be 3 more like this containing the forces; gravitational, friction and normal. I'm just not sure of the wording for those.
 
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There should be 3 more like this containing the forces; gravitational, friction and normal. I'm just not sure of the wording for those.

wording is not so difficult as long as you know which body is exerting the force. Just figure out on which bodies these force act and just fill the information in the statement.

"Man exerts an action force on the wall, the wall will exert a reaction force on the man that is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the applied force."

This should help out. :wink:
 

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