A rocket blasting off demonstrates which Newtonian law?

A rocket blasting off demonstrates which Newtonian law?

• A. Newton's Second Law of Motion
• B. The Law of Inertia
• C. Newton's Third Law of Motion
• D. Law of Universal Gravitation

Answer: (C)

When a rocket blasts off, the engine ejects exhaust gases backward at high speed. The gas experiences a backward force, and, in response, the rocket experiences an equal and opposite forward force. This action-reaction pair creates thrust, the push that propels the rocket upward. Gravity is pulling downward, and the rocket accelerates upward only when the thrust (the reaction to throwing the gas backward) exceeds the weight, but the essential idea is Newton's third law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

When a rocket blasts off, the engine ejects exhaust gases backward at high speed. The gas experiences a backward force, and, in response, the rocket experiences an equal and opposite forward force. This action-reaction pair creates thrust, the push that propels the rocket upward. Gravity is pulling downward, and the rocket accelerates upward only when the thrust (the reaction to throwing the gas backward) exceeds the weight, but the essential idea is Newton's third law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.