Question

A hammer drives a nail into a piece of wood. Identify an action - reaction pair in this situation.

Answer 1

Well, first of all, what is Newton's third law?

Answer 2

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction right?

Answer 3

So if the hammer exerts a force on the nail, does the nail exert a force back on the hammer according to Newton's third law?

Answer 4

I'll give you a hint: when you hit the nail with the hammer, you drive the nail into the wood, which is the action. So what is the reaction?

Answer 5

The hammer drives the nail down so the opposite reaction would be...?

Answer 6

The nail driving the hammer up, right?