Newton's Third Law Physics Example 3

Follow the full solution, then compare it with the other examples linked below.

easy

A hammer strikes a nail with

200 \text{ N}

of force. What force does the nail exert on the hammer?

1
Apply Newton's third law: action and reaction forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
2
The nail exerts a force of $200 \text{ N}$ on the hammer in the opposite direction.

Answer

F_{\text{nail on hammer}} = 200 \text{ N (opposite direction)}

Newton's third law guarantees that interaction forces between two objects are always equal and opposite, regardless of the objects' sizes or masses.

About Newton's Third Law

For every action force, there is an equal in magnitude and opposite in direction reaction force.

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