How does Newton's third law of motion have anything to do with the launching of a rocket?

Answer 1

newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction...

if an engine throws out gas at a great speed, then it will get acted upon by the same amount of energy... this is the principle used in aircrafts, guns, rockets....

to propel rockets at high speed, high energy jet of fuel is released...that is what you see when rockets take off...

Answer 2

The rocket pushes the exhaust gas backward with a certain force, the gas pushes the rocket forward with the same force. This is Newton's Third Law in action.

Here's another example: Stand on a skateboard holding a basketball. Throw the basketball in one direction, and you will move in the other direction - you exerted a force on the basketball in one direction, the basketball exerted the same force on you in the opposite direction.

Answer 3

Nothing. My first thought was that the force that propels the rocket is a reaction force, but actually the burning fuel propels the rocket by pressing on the front of the rocket engine. So you don't need the third law to understand it.

Answer 4

The action -- the expulsion of gases from combustion at extremely high pressure -- has an equal and opposite reaction -- the motion of the rocket craft. That's about it.