What are the action and reaction forces in Newton's third law?

The action and reaction forces in Newton's third law are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that when one object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force back on the first object. These two forces are known as the action and reaction forces.

The action and reaction forces are always equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. This can be expressed mathematically as F(action) = -F(reaction), where F is the force exerted by each object. For example, if object A exerts a force of 10 N on object B, then object B will exert a force of -10 N back on object A.

It is important to note that the action and reaction forces act on different objects. In the example above, the action force is exerted by object A on object B, while the reaction force is exerted by object B on object A. This means that the two forces do not cancel each other out, as they act on different objects.

Understanding Newton's third law is important in many areas of physics, including mechanics and electromagnetism. It allows us to analyse the forces acting on objects and predict their motion.