Wired Physics: A Closer Look at Newton's Third LawPhysics professor Rhett Allain can be counted on to offer up engaging and thought-provoking ideas for classroom activities. In this excerpt from Wired.com, he departs from form a bit to tackle "What's Wrong" with the traditional wording of Newton's Third Law. To quote Dr. Allain, "when you put the words "action" and "reaction" in a description of forces most people will think about movement." And this is a pickle. He suggests another definition that focuses on force pairs. We think this is a must read!
Veritasium: Best Film Ever on Newton's Third LawHere's physics education researcher Derek Muller with a fascinating look at misconceptions about the Third Law. All the people he interviewed could correctly state Newton's Third Law of Motion. But they all incorrectly interpreted its meaning for gravitational attraction between the Earth and moon, insisting that Earth exerts a greater magnitude of force on the moon than moon exerts back on Earth. Dr. Muller explains why they were confused as he explores the role played by inertia.