Physics POGIL: Newtons Third Law The relationship between action and reaction forces is simple but sometimes

goes against our intuition. In this POGIL we will learn how to identify action and reaction forces in a system and then explore some apparent paradoxes. The paradoxes may confuse us at first, but we can resolve them because we have minds with which to think and a Physics teacher who cares about us. Newtons Third Law of Motion Recall that forces are always exerted by some object. Newtons third law states that whenever one object exerts a force on a second object (the action force), the second object exerts an equal and opposite force back on the first object (the reaction force). It can be stated more simply as: Every action has an equal but opposite reaction. The following illustrations show several action and reaction forces:

Boy pushes wall to the right with a force of 5 N. Wall pushes boy to the left with a force of 5 N.

Hammer hits wooden stake down with a force of 200 N. Wooden stake hits hammer upward with a force of 200 N.

Earth pulls boulder down with a force of 5000 N. Boulder pulls Earth up with a force of 5000 N.

1. Identify the reaction force for each of the situations shown below.

Action: The bat hits the baseball with a force of 2700 N to the right. Reaction:

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Action: The cannon pushes the cannonball to the right with a force of 3500 N. Reaction:

Action: The balloon pushes air down with a force of 2 N. Reaction:

2. When you walk along the ground, your feet push backward on the ground because of friction. Why does this cause you to accelerate forward?

Paradoxes of Newton's Third Law 3. Suppose the horse in the picture below pulls the car to the left.

(a) On the picture of the car below, draw arrows showing the directions of the four forces that act on the car. Label each of the forces according to their type (tension, friction, weight, support force, etc.)

Physics (b) Identify the reaction forces to each of the action forces you labeled in (a).

(c) On the picture of the horse below, draw arrows showing the directions of the four forces that act on the horse. Label each of the forces according to their type (tension, friction, weight, support force, etc.)

(d) Notice that when the horse pulls forward on the car, the car pulls back on the horse with an equal but opposite force. How, then, is the horse ever able to pull the car forward?

4. In the drawing below, a tiny bug hits the windshield of a car traveling at 60 km/h.

(a) Which object experiences the greater force? Justify your answer.

(b) With Newton's second law of motion in mind, which object experiences a greater acceleration? Justify your answer.

(c) Why is the damage to the bug so much greater than the damage to the car?