Science·Forces & Motion·conceptual
Newton's Third Law
State and apply Newton's Third Law: every force has an equal and opposite reaction force acting on a different object, distinguishing action-reaction pairs from balanced forces
Suggested ages 12–13
Evidence of understanding
- States Newton's Third Law correctly, identifying both the action and reaction force and the objects they act on
- Gives at least two real-world examples (e.g. rocket propulsion, swimmer pushing off a wall)
- Distinguishes a Newton's Third Law pair from balanced forces on the same object
- Explains why a gun recoils when fired using Newton's Third Law
Assessment prompt
If Newton's Third Law saw a video of a rocket launching into space, could they explain what force is pushing the rocket upward and where that force comes from — and which law of motion that demonstrates?
Standards alignment
MS-PS2-1US · ngss-ms
MS-PS2-1
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Middle School
KS3.Sci.Phys.MotionAndForces.7GB · uk-nc-2013
Newton's Laws of Motion
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · KS3