This short clip, appropriate for video analysis, shows a person on a water-powered jetpack.  It was prepared by veteran high school teacher Peter Bohacek and is part of SERC Pedagogy in Action. Direct Measurement videos are very high-quality clips that allow students to integrate video analysis tools to explore physical phenomena (in this case, Newton's Third Law in action). For a great companion resource, check out the Veritasium YouTube video directly below.

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This short video by physicist Derek Muller explores the physics behind jetpack rockets. It works on the same principle as a spacecraft being launched, but you don't use rocket propellant to provide the thrust. Instead, water is pumped out of the lake by the jetski at about 60 liters/second, then fired out the nozzles at 15 m/s, creating 1800N of force. That's roughly equivalent to 150 fire extinguishers. We like this resource because it's a great way to visualize Newton's Third Law. It's simpler than a jet engine, but clearly shows the action/reaction resulting from the high-speed expulsion of water.

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Using a 2-liter plastic bottle and a bit of rocket propellant, Cam Cronin of Canada's McMillan Space Centre illustrates action/reaction in a controlled explosive "launch".  The relevance of Newton's Third Law is explained throughout the video.

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One of NASA's first attempts at "work" in the zero gravity of space turned into an exhausting failure for astronaut Gene Cernan. Every time he tried to push or turn a valve, he was sent hurtling in the opposite direction, with little control over his trajectory. His heart rate soared to >170 and he was unable to complete his tasks. Why? A little thing called Newton's Third Law of Motion and its application in a weightless environment. To quote Cernan, "We take gravity for granted. We can do that work with ease if something is holding our feet to the ground."

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This set of 3 short video clips, appropriate for video analysis, shows students on low friction carts. Initially stationary, they push off each other, sending each cart moving in opposite directions.  By measuring the speed of each cart after push-off, learners can calculate the momentum of each cart and system momentum. The three scenarios presented are: 1) Two students of similar mass, 2) Two students on one cart, one student on the other cart, and 3) Two students of different masses.

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