I keep getting “Newton's third law” questions wrong in Laws of Motion. What's the trap?
thinking action and reaction cancel out — they can't, because they act on different objects.
The usual trap: thinking action and reaction cancel out — they can't, because they act on different objects. How to avoid it: identify the two different bodies before pairing action–reaction forces. Go back to the definition — every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and the two forces act on different bodies.
Key point
Newton's third law
Common mistake
thinking action and reaction cancel out — they can't, because they act on different objects.
Memory tip
identify the two different bodies before pairing action–reaction forces.
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