{"id":1252,"date":"2022-03-22T14:33:42","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T14:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.praxilabs.com\/?p=1252"},"modified":"2025-10-11T22:02:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T22:02:43","slug":"newtons-third-law-of-motion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2022\/03\/22\/newtons-third-law-of-motion\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Guide to Newton&#8217;s Third Law of Motion: Detailed Explanation with 7 Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">The laws of physics are prominent in our everyday life, as they permeate, govern, and fully control every step we take and every move we make. The various applications of Newton\u2019s third law of motion form a good example to recall in this context, especially within the boundaries of our solar system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">In this article, we will elaborately discuss the nature of this law, its equation, and its importance in our daily life, in addition to mentioning some real life examples of Newton&#8217;s third law.. Let\u2019s take a look!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong><a class=\"maxbutton-3 maxbutton\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/\"><span class='mb-text'>try now Newton&#039;s Third Law of Motion at Praxilabs<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\r\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\r\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\r\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\r\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2022\/03\/22\/newtons-third-law-of-motion\/#What_Is_Newtons_Third_Law_of_Motion\" >What Is Newton&#8217;s Third Law of Motion?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2022\/03\/22\/newtons-third-law-of-motion\/#Newtons_Third_Law_Equation\" >Newton&#8217;s Third Law Equation<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2022\/03\/22\/newtons-third-law-of-motion\/#Check_Your_Understanding\" >Check Your Understanding!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2022\/03\/22\/newtons-third-law-of-motion\/#Importance_of_Newtons_Third_Law_of_Motion\" >Importance of Newton&#8217;s Third Law of Motion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2022\/03\/22\/newtons-third-law-of-motion\/#How_Is_Newtons_Third_Law_of_Motion_Useful_in_Our_Real_Life\" >How Is Newton&#8217;s Third Law of Motion Useful in Our Real Life?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2022\/03\/22\/newtons-third-law-of-motion\/#maxbutton_id%223%22_url%22https_praxilabscomensign-up%22_text%22Create_your_FREE_account_now_to_try_the_virtual_experiments%22\" ><a class=\"maxbutton-3 maxbutton\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/sign-up\"><span class='mb-text'>Create your FREE account now to try the virtual experiments<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2022\/03\/22\/newtons-third-law-of-motion\/#Technology_Uses_Newtons_Second_and_Third_Laws_of_Motion\" >Technology Uses Newton\u2019s Second and Third Laws of Motion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2022\/03\/22\/newtons-third-law-of-motion\/#Newtons_Third_Law_of_Motion_Examples_in_Sports\" >Newton&#8217;s Third Law of Motion Examples in Sports<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_Newtons_Third_Law_of_Motion\"><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>What Is Newton&#8217;s Third Law of Motion?<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1687, and throughout his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica masterpiece, widely known as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Principia<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Sir Isaac Newton proposed his renowned three laws of motion, commonly named after him. The laws mainly deal with the term \u201cforce,\u201d <\/span><b>but do you know what the types of forces are?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forces exist in two forms, either as a result of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interactions, i.e., normal, tensional, frictional, and applied forces; or as a result of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">actions-at-a-distance <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interactions, existing in the form of electrical, electrical, and magnetic forces. In this law, Isaac Newton described any two objects that are interacting to be exerting mutual forces upon each other.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is to say, if you are reading this article whilst sitting on a chair, therefore your body will be exerting a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">downward<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> force on the chair, and so does the chair but in the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">upward<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> direction.. YES! The chair too exerts force on you! Not just that, but during this battle between your body and the chair, the Earth will be also exerting a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">downward<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gravitational force on both of you!! And guess what? True.. both of you will be resisting being swallowed to the center of the Earth, and you will be exerting <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">equally<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">upward <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">force.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Newtons_Third_Law_Equation\"><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Newton&#8217;s Third Law Equation<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cForces come in pairs.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> That is how you can resemble Newton\u2019s third law in your common everyday language. The two equal forces exerted are of the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">same<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> magnitude, but in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">opposite<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> direction, known as: <\/span><strong><i>action<\/i> and <i>reaction<\/i> forces.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5071 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Newtons-Third-Law-of-Motion-2.webp\" alt=\"Applications of Newton\u2019s Third Law of Motion\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">It is the elixir of physics for every law or proven logical statement to have a mathematically detailed equation. Thus, Newton\u2019s third law equation states:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>F<\/b><sub><b>A<\/b><\/sub><b> = &#8211; F<\/b><sub><b>B<\/b><\/sub><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">where:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>F<\/b><sub><b>A<\/b><\/sub><b>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0the force exerted by the first object on the second, in a <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">certain<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> direction.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>F<\/b><sub><b>B<\/b><\/sub><b>: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the force exerted by the second object on the first, but in an <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">opposite <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">direction.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">A more sophisticated, yet useful formula, is given by<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>m<\/b><sub><b>1<\/b><\/sub><b>a<\/b><sub><b>1<\/b><\/sub><b> = &#8211; m<\/b><sub><b>2<\/b><\/sub><b>a<\/b><sub><b>2<\/b><\/sub><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">where:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>m<\/b><sub><b>1<\/b><\/sub><b>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the mass of the first object.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>a<\/b><sub><b>1 <\/b><\/sub><b>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the acceleration of the first object.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>m<\/b><sub><b>2<\/b><\/sub><b>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the mass of the second object.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>a<\/b><sub><b>2 <\/b><\/sub><b>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0the acceleration of the second object.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_Your_Understanding\"><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Check Your Understanding!<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Q1:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 60 kg person pushes a 10 kg box with a force of 30 N to the right. What is the force on the person?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>A1: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">30 N to the left<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Q2: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 60 kg person pushes a 10 kg box with a force of 30 N to the right. What is the acceleration of the box?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>A2: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only concerned with the force and acceleration of the<\/span><b> box, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">represented by <\/span><b>subscript 2<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">F<sub>2 <\/sub>= 30 N Right\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0F<sub>2<\/sub> = m<sub>2<\/sub>a<sub>2<br \/>\n<\/sub><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">m<sub>2 <\/sub>= 10 kg<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">a<sub>2<\/sub> = ?\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0a<sub>2<\/sub> = F<sub>2<\/sub> \/ m<sub>2<\/sub> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 a<sub>2<\/sub> = 30\/10\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 a<sub>2<\/sub> = 3 m\/s<sup>2<\/sup> right<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Q3:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 60 kg person pushes a 10 kg box with a force of 30 N to the right. What is the acceleration of the person?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>A3: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only concerned with the force and acceleration of the<\/span><b> person, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">represented by <\/span><b>subscript 1<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">F<sub>1 <\/sub>= 30 N Left\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 F<sub>1<\/sub> = m<sub>1<\/sub>a<sub>1<br \/>\n<\/sub><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">m<sub>1 <\/sub>= 60 kg<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">a<sub>1<\/sub> = ?\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 a<sub>1<\/sub> = F<sub>1<\/sub> \/ m<sub>1<\/sub>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0a<sub>1<\/sub> = 30\/60 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0a<sub>1<\/sub> = 0.5 m\/s<sup>2<\/sup> left.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Importance_of_Newtons_Third_Law_of_Motion\"><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Importance of Newton&#8217;s Third Law of Motion<\/b><\/span><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you place your physics book on a table, the book will stay still on the table unless you move it or a force moves it. <\/span><b>Now think what law of motion keeps your book still?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">This is one example of Newton&#8217;s third law of motion in everyday life that undisputedly dominates all our daily activities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of Newton\u2019s third law axes of importance lies in it being the reason behind us knowing another essential law in physics: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">momentum is conserved throughout collisions between objects<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. That is to say, even if the occurring interaction is very short lived, and we do not know any of the forces magnitudes or directions while objects are in contact, in addition to being pretty sure that these forces are not constant during the contact, we can still solve the problem by analyzing what the two objects do and how they act <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">after<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the collision because momentum is conserved and because the third law applies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Is_Newtons_Third_Law_of_Motion_Useful_in_Our_Real_Life\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>How Is Newton&#8217;s Third Law of Motion Useful in Our Real Life?<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">A variety of action-reaction force pairs are evident in nature, and in our real life. Here are 7 applications of Newton&#8217;s third law of motion:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Walking: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when you walk, you push the street; i.e., you apply an <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">action<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> force on the street&#8217;s ground, and the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reaction<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> force moves you forward.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Gun Firing: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when someone fires a gun, the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">action<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> force pulls the bullet outside the gun, and the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reaction<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> force pushes the gun backward.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Jumping from a boat: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">action<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> force is applied on the boat, and the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reaction <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">force pushes you to land. Parallelly, the action force pushes the boat backward.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Slapping: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when you slap someone, your hand feels pain and so does the cheek of the victim. The pain in the cheek is due to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">action <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">force, and the pain in the palm is due to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reaction<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> force.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Bouncing a ball: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when a ball hits the ground, the ball applies an <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">action<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> force on the ground. The ground applies a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reaction<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> force and the ball bounces back.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Flight motion of a bird: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the wings of the bird push air downwards as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">action<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> force, and the air pushes the bird upwards as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reaction <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">force.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Swimming of a fish: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the fish\u2019s fins push water around it backward as an action force, and the water applies a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reaction <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">force by pushing the fins forward, thus the fish.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To totally visualize your understanding, <strong>PraxiLabs<\/strong> advise you would check<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this quick video<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> funnily discussing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6SA8-E2X7Xg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Newton&#8217;s third law of motion examples in everyday life, with explanation.<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1471\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1471\" style=\"width: 263px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1471\" src=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/jump-off-a-boat-examples-of-newtons-third-law-of-motion-in-real-life.jpg\" alt=\"jump off a boat is an example of Newton's third law of motion\" width=\"263\" height=\"139\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1471\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Jumping off a boat is an example of Newton&#8217;s third law of motion in real life<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><a class=\"maxbutton-3 maxbutton\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/sign-up\"><span class='mb-text'>Create your FREE account now to try the virtual experiments<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Technology_Uses_Newtons_Second_and_Third_Laws_of_Motion\"><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Technology Uses Newton\u2019s Second and Third Laws of Motion<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we knew earlier, Sir Isaac Newton developed all the three laws of motion; the <strong>second law<\/strong> states that: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acceleration of an object is <\/span><\/i><b><i>directly<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> proportional to and in the same direction as the net force acting on the system and inversely proportional to its mass<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This law is mathematically denoted as:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>F<\/b><sub><b>net<\/b><\/sub><b> = ma<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Newton\u2019s second law is pivotal in the applications of science and engineering, as it connects the dots between force and motion in one formula. By calculating the acceleration of an object and therefore its velocity and position, we can determine its trajectory, thus knowing where it will be at any given time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Engineers also use Newton&#8217;s second law to calculate forces acting upon stationary objects. For a non-moving object the acceleration is zero; hence the sum of the forces acting on the object is also zero. Engineers apply Newton&#8217;s second law in designing structures to calculate the forces acting on joints in the framework of buildings and bridges.<br \/>\nElevators are another suitable example, as they follow Newton&#8217;s second law of motion according to which the ropes&#8217; tension force is determined to limit the acceleration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Newton\u2019s third law explains how balloons and rocket engines work. When the neck of an inflated balloon is released, the stretched rubber material pushes against the air in the balloon, and the air rushes outside the neck of the balloon, whereas the action of the air rushing from the balloon pushes against the balloon itself, causing it to move in the opposite direction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5073 size-medium aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Newtons-Third-Law-of-Motion-4-300x200.webp\" alt=\"Hot Air Balloon Newton's Third Law of Motion\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Newtons-Third-Law-of-Motion-4-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Newtons-Third-Law-of-Motion-4.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Speaking of rocket engines, when the rocket\u2019s fuel is burnt, hot gasses are produced. These gasses rapidly expand and are forced out of the back of the rocket, where this is known as action force. At the same time, the gasses exert an equal and opposite force on the rocket itself, scientifically known as the reaction force, and this force pushes the rocket upward.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Wheels and levers both follow Newton&#8217;s third law of motion, as reaction force is the driving mechanism for these two gadgets. Gym equipment is mostly pulley-based; therefore Newton&#8217;s third law of motion is the law in action while you do your workout.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Newtons_Third_Law_of_Motion_Examples_in_Sports\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>Newton&#8217;s Third Law of Motion Examples in Sports<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">It seems that this third law literally controls everything around us, from rocket science to the motion of animals, to humans everyday life, to the point that it literally controls how sportsmen and sportswomen perform their athletic activities. Since Newton\u2019s third law is an \u201caction-reaction\u201d law, it is a key law in different fields of sports. It also works hand-in-hand with the conservation law of momentum. And in sports fields, this mostly includes many forms of inelastic collisions and elastic ones in some rare cases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">A hockey puck will keep on sliding on the ice until it hits the wall, or it is hit by another player. In order to jump off a raft, it requires swimmers to move forward through the air, and the raft to move backwards through the water. Another sportive example where Newton\u2019s third law dominates is shooting ranges, as shooting activities wouldn&#8217;t have existed without the action-reaction rule.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To know how Newton\u2019s third law affects players&#8217; motion and why momentum can keep them moving or stop them in their tracks, watch this <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=e1lzB36aHD4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Science of NFL Football<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> video where professors explain how players g<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">et the utmost benefit from physics laws in football fields.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">In case you would like to read more about other Newton&#8217;s laws of motion, read this article discussing Newton&#8217;s first law of motion with equations and examples, or this article reviewing Newton&#8217;s second law. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">If you would like to learn more about all of Newton&#8217;s laws of motion, you can read <a style=\"text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2021\/06\/07\/newtons-first-law-of-motion-examples-in-everyday-life\/\">this article<\/a> for more information, equations and examples about the first law, or see <a style=\"text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2021\/11\/15\/applications-of-newtons-second-law-of-motion\/\">this article<\/a> that reviews the second law and its most common applications in a smooth way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><a class=\"maxbutton-3 maxbutton\" href=\"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/pricing\"><span class='mb-text'>Get Free Trial For Our Virtual Experiments<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The laws of physics are prominent in our everyday life, as they permeate, govern, and fully control every step we take and every move we make. The various applications of Newton\u2019s third law of motion form a good example to recall in this context, especially within the boundaries of our solar system. In this article, &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-physics","category-e-learning","category-virtual-labs"],"modified_by":"Muhamed Elmesery","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1252"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5417,"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252\/revisions\/5417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}