ACTION REACTION PAIRS online exercise for - Free Printable

This worksheet is designed to teach Newton’s Third Law of Motion: *For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.* The key idea is that forces always come in pairs — if Object A exerts a force on Object B, then Object B simultaneously exerts a force of equal magnitude and opposite direction on Object A.

Let’s solve each part step by step:

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Example (Given):

- Action: Fist hits wall. → Arrow points toward the wall.
- Reaction: Wall hits fist. → Arrow should point back toward the fist (opposite direction).

This sets the pattern: for each scenario, we must draw the *reaction* arrow (opposite direction) and write the *reaction* statement.

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## (a) Head bumps ball.

- Action: Head bumps ball → arrow points from head to ball.
- Reaction: Ball bumps head → arrow points from ball to head.
- ✔ Answer:
*Ball bumps head.*

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## (b) Windshield hits bug.

- Action: Windshield hits bug → arrow points from car/windshield to bug.
- Reaction: Bug hits windshield → arrow points from bug to windshield.
- ✔ Answer:
*Bug hits windshield.*

*(Note: Even though the bug is tiny, it exerts an equal force on the windshield — Newton’s Third Law doesn’t care about size or damage!)*

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## (c) Bat hits ball.

- Action: Bat hits ball → arrow points from bat to ball.
- Reaction: Ball hits bat → arrow points from ball to bat.
- ✔ Answer:
*Ball hits bat.*

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## (d) Hand touches nose.

- Action: Hand touches nose → arrow points from hand to nose.
- Reaction: Nose touches hand → arrow points from nose to hand.
- ✔ Answer:
*Nose touches hand.*

*(This might feel odd, but physically, when your hand presses your nose, your nose pushes back with equal force — that’s why you feel pressure!)*

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## (e) Hand pulls on flower.

- Action: Hand pulls on flower → arrow points from hand to flower (pulling left or right).
- Reaction: Flower pulls on hand → arrow points from flower to hand (opposite direction).
- ✔ Answer:
*Flower pulls on hand.*

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## (f) Athlete pushes bar upward.

- Action: Athlete pushes bar upward → arrow points up from athlete’s hands to bar.
- Reaction: Bar pushes athlete downward → arrow points down from bar to athlete.
- ✔ Answer:
*Bar pushes athlete downward.*

*(This is why weightlifters feel the bar “pushing down” on them — it’s the reaction force!)*

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## (g) Compressed air pushes balloon surface outward.

- Action: Air inside balloon pushes surface outward → arrows point outward from center to balloon surface.
- Reaction: Balloon surface pushes air inward → arrows point inward from surface to air.
- ✔ Answer:
*Balloon surface pushes air inward.*

*(The elastic balloon material resists expansion and pushes back on the air — this is what keeps the balloon inflated until you release it!)*

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## (h) Make up your own example.

You can choose any everyday situation where two objects interact.

✔ Example Answer:
Action: Foot kicks soccer ball.
Reaction: Soccer ball kicks foot.

*(Draw arrow from foot to ball for action; arrow from ball to foot for reaction.)*

Or another example:
Action: Book rests on table.
Reaction: Table pushes up on book.

*(Here, gravity pulls book down — that’s one force pair; the table pushing up is the reaction to the book pressing down.)*

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## 🎯 Final Summary of Answers:

| Letter | Reaction Statement |
|--------|-------------------------------------|
| (a) | Ball bumps head. |
| (b) | Bug hits windshield. |
| (c) | Ball hits bat. |
| (d) | Nose touches hand. |
| (e) | Flower pulls on hand. |
| (f) | Bar pushes athlete downward. |
| (g) | Balloon surface pushes air inward. |
| (h) | *(Your own — e.g., "Foot kicks ball → Ball kicks foot.")* |

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💡 Key Concept Reminder:
The action and reaction forces:
- Are equal in magnitude
- Opposite in direction
- Act on different objects
- Occur simultaneously

They are NOT balanced forces (which act on the same object) — they’re interaction forces between two objects.

Let me know if you’d like to draw the arrows too — I can describe exactly where to place them!