Newton’s Laws

It’s Rocket Science

Newton’s Third Law of Motion states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Anyone else experiencing this? When it comes to things I don’t want to do, I find that the harder I try to push myself, the stronger my resistance is. When I’m feeling pushed by life… or people… the same thing happens. My inner mule comes out, and I push back. I thought this was me being stubborn, now I find out that its simple rocket science!

Here’s a simplified explanation from Live Science:

Forces always occur in pairs; when one body pushes against another, the second body pushes back just as hard. For example, when you push a cart, the cart pushes back against you; when you pull on a rope, the rope pulls back against you; and when gravity pulls you down against the ground, the ground pushes up against your feet. The simplified version of this phenomenon has been expressed as, “You cannot touch without being touched.”

One might ask, “If the two forces are equal and opposite, why do they not cancel each other out?” Actually, in some cases they do. Consider a book resting on a table. The weight of the book pushes down on the table, while the table pushes up on the book with an equal and opposite force. In this case, the forces cancel each other because the book does not accelerate. The reason for this is that both forces are acting on the same body, while Newton’s Third Law describes two different bodies acting on each other.

If one object is much, much more massive than the other, particularly in the case of the first object being anchored to the Earth, virtually all of the acceleration is imparted to the second object, and the acceleration of the first object can be safely ignored. For instance, if you were to plant your feet and throw a baseball to the west, you would not have to consider that you actually caused the rotation of the Earth to speed up slightly while the ball was in the air. However, if you were standing on roller skates, and you threw a bowling ball forward, you would start moving backward at a noticeable speed.

Consider a horse and a cart. The horse pulls on the cart, and the cart pulls back on the horse. The two forces are equal and opposite, so why does the cart move at all? The reason is that the horse is also exerting a force on the ground, which is external to the horse–cart system, and the ground exerts a force back on the horse–cart system causing it to accelerate.

How, then, can a rocket move through space if there is nothing for it to push against? When the fuel is ignited in the rocket nozzle, the gas expands rapidly in all directions. Some of it goes backwards and has no effect on the rocket; however, some if it goes forward and crashes into the back of the rocket exerting a force that causes the rocket to accelerate in the forward direction. This is why Newton’s Third Law is considered to be the fundamental principle of rocket science.

Another explanation:

What did Newton mean when he said action? He meant — at any instant — force, or, over time, a change in momentum. So if you punch your enemy in the face … your fist exerts a force on his face, and his face exerts an equal and opposite force on your fist.

And, if you use a small gunpowder explosion to change the momentum of a bullet, the equal and opposite reaction is the equal and opposite change in momentum of you holding the gun, known commonly as recoil.

It pays to be aware of this.

But this also means you can’t exert a net force on yourself, and you can’t change your own momentum without also changing something else’s momentum by an equal and opposite amount!

Newton’s Second Law

Newton’s second law–When a force acts on an object, the object accelerates in the direction of the force. This means that objects with more mass require more force to move the same distance as lighter objects.

Which of these two will be the easiest to move?

Which brings me to thinking about the “roadblocks” in my life, the obstacles, the “stuff” and the problems that I can’t seem to overcome. How much weight do I give them? How much mass have they achieved over the years? Just how “big” are they in relation to my wished for and dreamed of alternatives?

So, what does this mean in real life?

First of all, I think it explains why it’s so much easier to set small, easy, or fun tasks as goals and actually get them accomplished. For example, one of my granddaughters set a goal for this project that she would spend equal time with both of her dogs. She’s doing an excellent job of achieving that goal because it’s fun, it’s easy, and it’s something she enjoys doing.

It also explains why it’s so much easier to file my tax return the day it’s due, rather than filing early. The force of the IRS is way stronger than my resistance to filling out paperwork. So, it does get done.

I’m pretty sure that if my mother was coming for a visit, and going to stay with me, I’d have that faucet replaced … and the house cleaned… and the lawn mowed … and the car washed…. all done before she got here. Obviously, a visit from my mother carries more “weight” and has more “force” than my own sort of day dreamy idea of having a working faucet.


Obviously, it’s way easier to kick a soccer ball than it is to kick a brick wall.

And yet, how many times do we set ourselves up for failure by not taking into account the “brick wall” we are trying to move?

How many motivational memes, how much self recrimination, how many self help books will help this little guy succeed in kicking that brick wall all the way out into left field?

I’d say… none! Something more is needed.

So, what’s the brick wall that you’re running into? What is your wall made of, why is it so solid, how much mass does it have, how much weight have you given it, how much space does it take up… Figure these things out, and you might be well on your way to actually making some real progress.

9 Quick Tricks for Overcoming Inertia

Inertia is a scientific fact. As a matter of fact, it’s Newton’s First Law.

  • Objects at rest stay at rest.
  • Objects in motion stay in motion.

Newton’s first law of motion states that “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.”

Objects tend to “keep on doing what they’re doing.” In fact, it is the natural tendency of objects to resist changes in their state of motion. This tendency to resist changes in their state of motion is described as inertia.

  • Inertia: the resistance an object has to a change in its state of motion.

You can beat inertia by simply making yourself take action in a different direction.  Get moving. DO SOMETHING – do anything that will pull you out of your current most comfortable state.

  • Watching TV? Turn the television off and go outside.
  • Trolling Facebook? Log out and take a shower.

Whatever activity or inactivity you seem to be stuck in, knock yourself out of that flow and into a new one. Don’t just think about it. Take a deep breath and actually DO it.

And, just in case you need to put it off DOING something for just a few more minutes, we have here, from  Always Well Within, a mix of methods to rouse yourself out of inertia and inaction. Read through them. According to the author, one of them almost always works. Be skillful by choosing one that fits your particular circumstances and mood.

  1. Just get started. Do anything to get the energy and inspiration moving. Start anywhere: in the beginning, middle or end.
  2. Remove distractions. Knowing you are prone to inertia, don’t let distractions lure you away from your goal.
  3. Have a preset plan for your project. Then follow it no matter what.
  4. Do the fun parts to get out of your funk. I know it sounds like cheating, but it really gets the juices flowing again.
  5. Remember your purpose and rekindle your belief in your work.
  6. Allow yourself to do a mindless task for a short but set amount of time. Then get on with your work in progress.
  7. Taking a nap always refreshes me and makes me more enthusiastic to get back on track.
  8. Go for a walk and get some fresh air. The luxury of space and increased oxygen to your brain can easily refresh your view.
  9. Take a day off and thoroughly enjoy your self. We all have lulls in our motivation. It’s OK for you to have one too.

The brain needs downtime to replenish itself. Inertia may be a sign that you are not taking enough mental breaks during the day, which are crucial to increase productivity and boost attention. Inertia might also indicate it’s time to check in with yourself to see if this is the right project for you.

No More Excuses!

Get moving, get doing, get started!

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