Newton's Third Law of Motion Worksheet

Newton's Third Law of Motion

Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Show all your work for calculation problems.

1. Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite  .

2. When a rocket takes off, exhaust gases are pushed downward, and the rocket is propelled upward. This is an example of:

3. The forces in an action-reaction pair are always   in magnitude and   in direction.

4. When you jump, the Earth exerts an upward force on you, and you exert a   force on the Earth.

5. Action and reaction forces act on the same object.

6. Newton's Third Law applies to objects at rest as well as objects in motion.

7. Describe an everyday example of Newton's Third Law of Motion, clearly identifying the action and reaction forces.

8. Explain why action-reaction forces do not cancel each other out, even though they are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

9. Consider a Newton's Cradle, as shown below. When one ball is lifted and released, it strikes the stationary balls, and one ball on the opposite end swings out. Using Newton's Third Law, explain the transfer of momentum in this system.