Is This Scenario Demonstrating Newton's Third Law of Motion?

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The discussion centers on whether a scenario involving two people, A and B, illustrates Newton's Third or Second Law of Motion. When Person A hits Person B and is pushed back more, it raises questions about the forces involved. Newton's Third Law states that forces between two bodies are equal in size and opposite in direction, which suggests that if A is pushed back more, it contradicts this law. However, if A's greater displacement indicates a larger acceleration, it implies a lesser mass for A compared to B, aligning with Newton's Second Law. The conversation ultimately highlights the interplay between both laws in understanding motion and force.
permapoop
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Let's say there's two people, A and B.

Person A hits person B and person A gets pushed back more than person B does.

Would be that be exhibiting Newton's Third Law of Motion of Newton's Second Law of Motion?
 
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I think both.
How much A is pushed back and its acceleration after collision is given by II law, and III law says A is affected by its pushing against B.
 
Newtons II law is applied in cases only if there is acceleration( there must be net force available in a direction). Newton III law is applied in cases involving forces(independent of net force).
 
permapoop said:
Let's say there's two people, A and B.

Person A hits person B and person A gets pushed back more than person B does.

Would be that be exhibiting Newton's Third Law of Motion of Newton's Second Law of Motion?

Your language is a little fuzzy. Does "gets pushed" mean "experiences a force"? If so, the situation you describe violates the third law of motion. It says that whenever one body applies a force to a second body, the second body applies a force of the same size but opposite direction on the first body. The pushes in the scenario have to be the same size.

If "gets pushed back more" means that Person A ends up a greater distance from the starting point than Person B, then the Second Law comes into play. Both people start at rest and end up moving, so each accelerated. If Person A moves farther in a given amount of time, he or she experienced a greater acceleration. It follows from the Second Law that he or she has a lesser mass than Person B.
 
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