What's the formula for newton's third law?
2007-11-20 11:43:22 · 2 answers · asked by Lala! 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The traditional wording is "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." However, in my experience most students (including sophomore physics majors) have no idea what this actually means, so I prefer "If A puts a force F on B, B must necessarily put a force -F on A."
2007-11-20 11:47:05 · answer #1 · answered by jgoulden 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For every action there is an opposite, but equal reaction (unless something is not able to give back an equal reaction or has a very different mass...but that is not the point).
Example:
If someone hits a wall with a force of 40 Newtons, the wall gives a force back on the persons hand with a force of 40 Newtons.
2007-11-20 20:22:37 · answer #2 · answered by b 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋