SP2e Newton's Third Law

Question 1

Describe what Newton’s Third Law says.

Answer 1

According to Newton’s third law of motion, whenever two objects interact, they exert equal and opposite forces on each other. This is often worded as ‘every action has an equal and opposite reaction’.

Question 2

Recall the meaning of ‘equilibrium situation’.

Answer 2

When all the forces that act upon an object are balanced, then the object is said to be in a state of equilibrium

Question 3

Distinguish between action–reaction pairs and balanced forces.

Answer 3

Balanced forces are equal and opposite forces that act on the same object. That’s why they cancel out. Action-reaction forces are equal and opposite forces that act on different objects, so they don’t cancel out. In fact, they often result in motion

Question 4

Describe how objects affect each other when they collide.

Answer 4

in a collision the two objects each gain the same momentum but in opposite directions.