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View Full Version : Help me please in this concept of physics?


brijmohan123456
Jan 17, 2013, 08:58 PM
Please take this question seriously-
Newton's third law state that to every action there is a equal and opposite reaction.then if a body of mass m is attached to a spring.The body will be pulled downward by earth.But as this pull will have equal and opposite reaction,so the body will be pulled upward by spring in the form of tension T.So we see that as soon as body will be pulled downward by earth immediately there will be an upward reaction also.But still body will move downward how is it possible?please explain me in detail or provide a link.
Thank you

Tuttyd
Jan 18, 2013, 04:20 AM
I think the misunderstanding is that there is more than one law at work in the example you give. You are probably trying to show how equal and opposite apply to a single object in terms of the Third Law.

You would also need to take into account the Second Law as well because of acceleration and deceleration of an isolating spring.

I think this is where you are probably going wrong.

ebaines
Jan 18, 2013, 07:39 AM
If the mass is being pulled down by gravity the equal and opposite force at work here is the force the earth feels being pulled up by the gravity of the mass. The other force at work in this example is the spring tension, and for this the equal and opposite force is the force supplied by the support for that spring that keeps it from falling to the ground.