Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Definition
An action-reaction pair refers to a pair of forces that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. These forces act on different objects and are a result of their interaction with each other.
States that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Force Pair: A pair of forces acting on two different objects but having equal magnitudes and opposite directions.
Momentum Conservation: The principle stating that the total momentum before and after an interaction remains constant if no external forces act on the system.