Questions about Newton's third law

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

This discussion centers on Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Participants clarify the nature of reaction forces in various scenarios, such as a car driving forward and a person lifting weights. The reaction force for a car is provided by the ground, while the friction force acts in the opposite direction. The conversation also explores the concept of normal force and its relationship to gravitational force, emphasizing that normal force and weight are not third law pairs.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's Laws of Motion
  • Basic knowledge of forces and motion
  • Familiarity with concepts of mass and acceleration
  • Knowledge of friction and its effects on motion
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the implications of Newton's Third Law in real-world applications
  • Learn about the relationship between mass, force, and acceleration through Newton's Second Law
  • Explore the concept of normal force in different scenarios, including free fall
  • Investigate the effects of air resistance on moving objects
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, educators teaching mechanics, and anyone interested in understanding the principles of motion and forces in everyday life.

  • #61
Byrgg said:
I'm not questioning his law or anything, I just need to understand a few things about it. I understand the basic concept of the law, for every force, there is an equal force in the oppostite direction.

But what provides the reaction force in the following situations?

A car driving, has an applied force forward, but what's the reaction force backwards? Also, in the same situation, what about friction? It applies a force backward, so what's the reaction force forward provided here?

Second, a person lifting weights, they apply a force upwards to lift the weight, what is the reaction force here provided by?

A car driving, has an applied force forward, but what's the reaction force backwards? Also, in the same situation, what about friction? It applies a force backward, so what's the reaction force forward provided here?

The reaction force is just the air resistance by air acting on the surface area of the moving car in the opposite direction to that of the car's motion as well as ground friction acting on the car's wheel, also in the opposite direction to that of the car's motion.

Second, a person lifting weights, they apply a force upwards to lift the weight, what is the reaction force here provided by?

Your hand is doing work by lifting the weights upwards. Since weight of the weights is acting downwards, the reaction force comes from your hand's upward movement when lifting the weights.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 127 ·
5
Replies
127
Views
9K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
7K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
6K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
4K
Replies
14
Views
8K