Newton's Third Law states that for any action force, there is always an equal

and opposite reaction force. Imagine a cannon. As an explosion in the cannon

forces the cannonball out of the cannon, an equal force pushes the cannon
backwards. (Cannons usually have more mass than cannonballs, so the cannon
would not accelerate at the same rate as the cannonball would.)

Isaac Newton was a legendary scientist and inventor of the 17th century. He laid the foundation of
modern mechanics with this Three Laws of Motion. These remain the basis of physics even
today (if youd like to learn more, this course can give you an overview of physics essentials). In
todays post well explain Netowns Third Law of Motion, with some real world examples. You
may want to look up his First and Second laws here [Note to editor: Please insert links to the
blog posts for Newtons 1st and 2nd law here. They havent been published as of my writing this
post].
According to Newtons Third Law of Motion Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
This means in every interaction, there are always two forces at play on the body. The magnitude
of the two forces is exactly the same. However, the directions are opposite. Thus, they balance
each other. Lets take an example. When you sit on a chair, your body exerts a downward force
on the surface of the chair, while the the chair exerts an equal and upward force on your body. As
both are balanced, the chair and you stay in the same position. This is an example of Newtons
third law in which the two forces are known as action and reaction forces.

What is Force?
Force is defined as a push or pull upon an object which results from its interaction with another
object. Whenever two objects interact force is exerted on each of the objects. When there is no
interaction, the force on each object ceases. Forces can be classified into two types Contact
forces and action-at-a-distance forces.
1. Contact forces
In this case the objects that interact with one another are physically in contact. These forces
include applied forces, frictional forces, tensional forces and more.
2. Action-at-a-distance forces
Here unlike contact forces the objects that interact with one another are not in physical contact.
Examples of these forces are gravity, magnetic, electric and even inter-particle forces. You can
get an insight into such forces with this course on Quantum Physics.
We will take a closer look at the Third Law of Motion using examples.

Example 1: How Fish Swim

Have you ever wondered how a fish swims in the water? A fish pushes water backward by using
its fins. What happens then is the water pushes the fish forward with same force as the fish had
exerted on the water. Hence, action-reaction force pairs enable the fish to swim. The same
technique is applied by human swimmers. Here they use their arms to push the water backward
which propels them to move forward. This course can help you learn to swim like a Pro using
these very principles.

Example 2: Impact of a Moving Football

Everyone loves football, right? Football is always a great way to bond whether youre
watching it at the stadium or on TV (if youre from the other side of the globe and want to get
familiar with American football, this course tells you the terms and what to watch out for, so can
join your American pals in the fun). Say you are watching a football match at a stadium.
Suddenly a football comes in your direction. You manage to push the ball away from you with
your hands. However, the impact of the ball causes pain in your hands. Why does this happen?
This is because when two objects interact with each other, each exerts equal and opposite forces
on each other.

Example 3: How Birds Fly

The wings of a bird force air downwards, these results in the air applying force of the same
magnitude upwards. This pushes the bird upwards into the air. The same concept applies to
planes and helicopters. Never thought such a basic principle is behind that cushy air travel! You
can also learn to fly just sign up for this course.

Example 4: Automobiles Propulsion

This principle can also help us understand how automobiles move on the road. When a car is
started its wheels spin and grip the road. This results in a force that pushes the road backwards.
As the result the road exerts a force equal in size of the wheels but in the opposite direction, i.e.
forward. This results in the car moving ahead on the road. In case the surface of the road was ice,
the wheels wouldnt be able to grip road properly. Hence, it would be difficult to exert a force.
This is why automobiles find it difficult to move ahead on icy surface and end up skidding. Yes,
Newtons humble Third Law at play here as well.

Example 5: Rocket Travel Made Possible

In the past space travel was considered impossible. This was because space was effectively
vacuum. What can a rocket push against in vacuum? So what do present day rockets do? When
a rocket is started in space, hot gases are released in downward direction of the rocket. This
results in an equal size upward force on the rocket that pushes the rocket ahead. This is a classic
example of Newtons Third Law.

Example 6: Gravitational Force

Consider the case of tossing a ball upward. Due to the gravitational force exerted by the earth the
ball follows the projectile trajectory and comes down towards the earth. When it hits the earth,
the ball applies the same force but in opposite direction to the earth. The question is why the
earth doesnt move towards the ball. It is because the mass of the earth is much bigger than that
of the ball. Hence, the acceleration applied on the ball by the earth is negligible.

Example 7: Push Force Involving Different Masses

Take a look at this situation. Two teenagers are standing on the ice facing each other. Assume
that there is zero friction produced by the ice surface. The weight of one of the teenagers is more
than the other. Now they push each other in the opposite direction to each other. Here the
question is who will move away with higher speed. As the mass of one of the teenagers is
greater, his speed will be lower. So the lighter teenager will move away faster.

Example 8: Hitting the Wall with Your Fist

Frustrated and hitting the wall with your fist? Well, Newton isnt far away. Here there are two
forces, your force and an equal and opposite force applied by the wall on the fist. Hence, harder
you hit the wall the more force is exerted on your fist by the wall. This is why you get hurt more.

Example 9: How Swimmers Start off in a Race

In swimming races, while starting the swimmer uses his feet to push off the wall. The more force
he applies on the wall, the faster will be his movement in water. The reason being the wall exerts
the same force on the swimmer as he applies on the wall, but in the opposite direction.

Example 10: How Sea Animals Move in Water

Lets take an example of sea animals such as octopus. They suck in seawater and eject it through
a siphon. As the octopus applies the force on the water, the water also exerts similar force but in
the opposite direction. Sound familiar? Yes, its the Third Law of Motion at play again.
We hope these examples helped show you how the laws of Physics are at play all around us.
They may sound basic, but they pack a lot

ewton's Third Law of Motion

Newtons third law states that if one object exerts a force on another
object, then the second object exerts a force of equal strength in the opposite
direction of the first object. In other words, for every action there is a reaction.
When applying Newtons third law there are four aspects involved: a first object, a
second object, an action force and a reaction force. In the case of the balloon car,
the first object was the car itself which was attached to the balloon and the second
object was the air surrounding the car. The action force was the car pushing on the
air backwards and the reaction force was the air pushing the car forwards.
Regarding Newtons first law of motion, the action and reaction forces are both
unbalanced forces which is the reason the car accelerates forwards. However, an
unbalanced force also must act upon an object moving at constant to cause it to
come to a stop. An action force of the wheels pushing on the floor and a reaction
force of the floor pushing on the wheels is the previously mentioned unbalanced
force of friction which caused the car to come to a stop.