Newton’s 3rd Law

If Object 1 exerts a force F1 on Object 2, then Object 2 exerts a force F2 on Object 1. These forces have the same magnitude but act in opposite directions (F1 = -F2) and act on different objects. These two forces form an action-reaction pair. For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. However, the effects of these equal-strength forces can be different. For example, imagine a collision between a bus and a pedestrian. Both the bus and the pedestrian experience equal force, but the pedestrian has less mass and so will undergo more acceleration. The bus will undergo very little acceleration.


Written by      First published July 19, 2008      Last modified August 25, 2011
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