What is Newton's Third Law and what is an example of it?

Newton's Third Law looks at what happens when two objects interact with each other. The definition of Newton's Third Law is, "When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body." Explained simply: When one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object is also exerting a force on the first object at the same time. This force will be the same size but in the opposite direction. An example of this is when you push on the wall. As you push on the wall, you will feel your hands squash slightly meaning you feel a force. This is because the wall is also pushing on you at the same time. So Newton's third law explains why we feel objects when we touch them or why objects can change direction when they hit an obstacle.

MO
Answered by Maxwell O. Physics tutor

5372 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

the moon takes 27.3 days (2.36x10^6s) to orbit the earth . Calculate its distance from the earth . Take the mass of the earth to be 5.975x10^24kg.


Why does magnetic field do no work on an electric charge?


A sample of pure gold has a density of 19300 kgm^-3. If the density of a gold nucleus is 1.47x10^17Kgm^-3, discuss what this implies about the structure of the gold atom. [4 marks]


An isotope of 238,92-Uranium decays into a stable isotope of 206,82-Lead through a series of alpha and beta decays, how many of each does it go through?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences