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Newton's 3rd Law of Motion question

If every force has an equal and opposite reaction then how do football players manage to 'follow-through', rather than have their leg flung backwards?

Is it because the football player is overcoming the reaction force from the ball and hence why the leg still goes forward (instead of backwards or stopping)?

Thanks
Original post by Fangedbeast
If every force has an equal and opposite reaction then how do football players manage to 'follow-through', rather than have their leg flung backwards?

Is it because the football player is overcoming the reaction force from the ball and hence why the leg still goes forward (instead of backwards or stopping)?

Thanks


Hello,

That is a good question. There are a few important things to remember. Firstly, the effects of the force that both the leg and the ball experience are dependent on their mass; usually, balls have less mass than the leg and thus experience a greater acceleration. Secondly, if the leg is travelling at a certain velocity when it hits the ball, then any acceleration will just decrease the velocity as opposed to reversing it. Also, there are other forces being applied to the leg by the body and thus the resultant may cause the leg to accelerate forwards anyway. I hope that this has been helpful.

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