The Principles of Newton's Third Law in Action
How do Newton's third law of motion apply in a scenario where Bill pushes Karen backward?
Bill and Karen go to the ice-skating rink. Bill has twice the mass of Karen. While they are standing still and talking, suddenly Bill pushes Karen backward. What can you say about the forces between Bill and Karen?
Answer:
Forces acting on the two will be equal and opposite in nature according to Newton's third law of motion.
When Bill pushes Karen backward in this scenario, the forces between them will follow Newton's third law of motion. According to this law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, when Bill exerts a force on Karen, Karen will exert an equal and opposite force on Bill.
Given that Bill has twice the mass of Karen, the forces acting on them will still be equal and opposite. This means that the force applied by Karen on Bill will be the same magnitude as the force applied by Bill on Karen, but in the opposite direction.
Understanding and applying Newton's third law of motion helps us analyze and explain interactions between objects, such as in the scenario where Bill pushes Karen backward. This law is fundamental in understanding the dynamics of forces and motion in the physical world.