Newton’s 3 Law rd

IB PHYSICS | FORCES
 Newton’s ThirdLaw
Newton’s Third law states that for every
action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction.
Newton’s ThirdLaw
If two objects interact,
the magnitude of the
force exerted on object 1
by object 2 is equal to
the magnitude of the
force simultaneously
exerted on object 2 by
object 1,and these two
forces are opposite in
direction.
 Newton’s Third Law
Forces always exist in pairs

Wall and finger is

the action - reaction
pair.

Action force acts on the wall , reaction force

acts on the finger.
 Newton’s Third Law
Field forces also exist in pairs
For example, consider the
Action Reaction gravitational force exerted by
force force Earth on an object. The force
𝑭𝒈 𝑭 𝒈′ that Earth exerts on the man
is Fg. Let’s call this force the
action. What is the reaction?
Because Fg is the force
exerted on the man by Earth,
𝑭 𝒈= 𝑭 𝒈′
the reaction to is the exerted
on Earth by the man.

andform an action-
reaction pair
 Newton’s Third Law
Field forces also exist in pairs
Action Reaction Earth also exerts a normal force
force force supporting the person, and in return
the person exerts an equal but
𝑹 𝑹′ opposite force on the Earth. Again
R and R’ form an action-reaction
pair. It is important to note that
although the weight and the
supporting force are equal and
𝑹= 𝑹 ′ opposite, they are not an action-
reaction pair because they act on
the same body.
R and R’ form an action-
reaction pair
 TRY THIS!!!
A 6.0 kg object undergoes an acceleration of 2.0 m/s2.
a. What is the magnitude of the net force acting on the object?
b. If this same force is applied to a 4.0 kg object, what
acceleration is produced?

Ans:(a. 12 N b. 3.0 m/s2)

 TRY THIS!!!
Identify the action-reaction pairs in the following situations:
a. A person takes a step.
b. A snowball hits someone in the back.
c. A baseball player catches a ball.
d. A gust of wind strikes a window.

Ans:
a. person pushes on ground; ground pushes on person
b. snowball exerts force on back; back exerts force on snowball
c. ball exerts force on glove ; glove exerts force on ball.
d. wind exerts force on window; window exerts force on wind
 TRY THIS!!!
The forces acting on a sailboat are 390 N north and 180 N east. If
the boat (including crew) has a mass of 270 kg, what are the
magnitude and direction of the boat’s acceleration?

Ans:1.6 m/s2 at an angle of 65°

north of east
 TRY THIS!!!
Critical Thinking : If a small sports car collides head-on with a
massive truck, which vehicle experiences the greater impact force?
Which vehicle experiences the greater acceleration? Explain your
answers.

Ans: Each impact force has the same magnitude. The sports
car experiences the larger acceleration because it has a smaller
mass, and acceleration is inversely proportional to mass.