Re: Car acceleration

[Herbert H Gottlieb <herbgottlieb@JUNO.COM>]

On Mon, 04 Feb 2002 13:09:49 -0500 Scott Goelzer <sgoelzer@EARTHLINK.NET>
writes:
> Place a file folder on a bed of straws so that it slides freely.
> Place wound-up car on file folder and release. Car pushes road
backwards.
> I've been using this for years as a third law/friction demo.

The usual example of Newton's third law requires visualizing the rocket
exhaust
providing the action and the body of the rocket providing the equal and
opposite reaction. In the example, above, exactly what part does friction
 play in the wound-up-car/file-folder process? Please take this question
seriously. It is not meant to be funny.

Herb Gottlieb from New York City
(Where friction coupling does not enter into our action-reaction
explanations)