What happens to free body diagrams when breaking through a wall?

In summary, when exerting a force, the individual will experience an equal and opposite force on two bodies. However, when breaking through a wall, the free body diagrams of the hand and the wall will be different.
  • #1
sgstudent
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When I exert a force, I will experience an equal and opposite force on two mutual bodies. However, when I break through a wall how do the free body diagrams of my hand and the wall? When the wall doesn't break, the forces on the hand is normal contact force on my hand from the wall and a force pushing it to make it stay st that position. As for the wall, its a force that I exact on it by my hand and also a force to balance the exerted force on the wall.

But when dealing with the breaking wall case, I'm unsure what happens. Thanks for all the help!
 
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  • #2
Your analysis is correct in both cases: the case where the wall breaks and the case where the wall doesn't break. The third law doesn't imply or require equilibrium.
 
  • #3
Seems you are combining the first and the second laws. It's like when you push an object on a frictionless surface, the force you apply on the object is equal to the force the object applies on your hand. If I got you correctly, according to your analysis, your hand ( and the object) should not accelerate.

Second's law is about net forces on the "same body". When you break through the wall, the wall exerts a force on your body, your weight and also your the floor ,through your shoes, exerts forces. The combination these forces determines your motion.
 
  • #4
So when the wall breaks the forces on me is the normal contact firce by the wall on me and my own pushing force on myself? Then for the wall its my exerted force with less pushing force back on my exerted force? Then what happens when I push air? I apply a force in it so Teresa another force on me so I have to apply some force on myself to counteract it. While for the air molecules they don't have that counteracting force so they simply move away? Are these assumptions right? Thanks for all the help!
 
  • #5


In the case of breaking through a wall, the free body diagrams of your hand and the wall will still follow Newton's third law, but the forces involved will be different. Your hand will still experience an equal and opposite force from the wall, but this force will be stronger and may result in injury to your hand. The force exerted by your hand on the wall will also be stronger, as it is now strong enough to break through the wall. The wall, on the other hand, will also experience an equal and opposite force from your hand, but the force will be concentrated at the point of impact and may cause the wall to break or deform. It is important to note that in this scenario, both your hand and the wall are exerting forces on each other, but the forces may not necessarily be equal due to differences in strength and materials. Additionally, the force of gravity may also play a role in the breaking of the wall, as it will exert a downward force on both your hand and the wall. Overall, the free body diagrams in this situation will be more complex and may involve multiple forces acting on each object.
 

Related to What happens to free body diagrams when breaking through a wall?

1. How does Newton's third law apply to real-life situations?

Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that whenever one object exerts a force on another object, the second object will exert an equal and opposite force back on the first object. In real-life situations, this can be seen in activities such as walking, where the ground exerts an equal and opposite force on our feet to propel us forward.

2. What is an example of a Newton's third law problem?

An example of a Newton's third law problem could be a person pushing a box across the floor. The person exerts a force on the box, and the box exerts an equal and opposite force back on the person, making it difficult to move the box.

3. How does Newton's third law affect motion?

Newton's third law affects motion by showing that forces always occur in pairs. This means that when one object exerts a force on another object, the second object will also exert a force back on the first object. These forces can either cancel each other out, resulting in no motion, or cause an object to accelerate in a particular direction.

4. Can Newton's third law be violated?

No, Newton's third law cannot be violated. It is a fundamental law of physics that has been proven through countless experiments and observations. It is a fundamental principle that governs how forces interact with each other and plays a crucial role in understanding and predicting the behavior of objects in motion.

5. How does Newton's third law relate to conservation of momentum?

Newton's third law is closely related to the concept of conservation of momentum. Since forces always occur in equal and opposite pairs, the total momentum of a system remains constant. This means that if one object exerts a force on another object, the second object will experience an equal and opposite force, resulting in a change in momentum. However, the total momentum of the system will remain the same.

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