Newton's Third Law of Motion
Kaitlin Tucker
Third Law of Motion
His law states that for every action in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction.
The motion of a car on your way to school. A car is equipped with wheels that spin. As the wheels spin, they grip the road and push the road backwards. Since forces result from mutual interactions, the road must also be pushing the wheels forward. The size of the force on the road equals the size of the force on the wheels. The direction of the force on the road is opposite the direction of the force on the wheels.
A flying bird in motion. A bird flies by use of its wings. The wings of a bird push air downwards. Since forces result from mutual interactions, air must also be pushing the bird upwards; the direction of the force on the air is opposite the direction of the force on the bird.
A fish uses its fins to push water backwards. But a push on the water will only serve to accelerate the water. Sine forces result from mutual interactions, the water must also be pushing the fish forwards, propelling the fish through the water.
How this law occurs in everyday life
Aircraft, the principle of action and reaction is important. It helps explain the general lift from an airfoil. In this problem, the air is deflected downward by the action of the airfoil, and in the reaction the wing is pushed upward. Also a spinning ball, the air is deflected to one side, and the ball reacts by moving in the opposite direction. Another example is a jet engine which produces thrust through action and reaction. The engine produces hot exhaust gases which flow out the back of the engine. In reaction, a thrusting force is produced in the opposite direction.