Force Pairs

Front

What is net force?

Back

The net force is the overall force acting on an object when all the individual forces are combined. It determines the object's acceleration and direction.

Front

What is Newton's Third Law of Motion?

Back

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Front

If a bird hits your windshield, what does Newton's Third Law imply about the forces involved?

Back

The force of the car on the bird is equal to the force of the bird on the car.

Front

What is an action force?

Back

An action force is the initial force exerted by one object on another.

Front

What is a reaction force?

Back

A reaction force is the force exerted by the second object back on the first object, equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

Front

What happens when forces are balanced?

Back

When forces are balanced, the net force is zero, and the object remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity.

Front

What happens when forces are unbalanced?

Back

When forces are unbalanced, the net force is not zero, causing the object to accelerate in the direction of the net force.

Front

What is an example of an action-reaction pair?

Back

When a swimmer pushes the water backward (action), the water pushes the swimmer forward (reaction).

Front

How does mass affect the acceleration of an object?

Back

According to Newton's second law, acceleration is inversely proportional to mass; as mass increases, acceleration decreases for a given net force.

Front

What is the formula for calculating net force?

Back

Net force (F_net) = mass (m) × acceleration (a).