Newton's _____ law explains why my hands hurt when I clap loudly.
1st
2nd
3rd
1 answer
The force on your left hand is equal and opposite to the force on your right hand (third law). However the second law says that the amount of force on your hand is proportional to how fast it stops when it hits the other hand. If your hand were not soft and squishy and the hands approached each other at the same speed with the same mass and stayed together stopped, the rate of change of speed (acceleration) and momentum (force -law 2) would be infinite on each. Since they squish a little the change of momentum is spread out a little in time and you only get a pretty big force and noise and a sting.
2 answers