In the context of a balloon car, which is a simple physics experiment often used to demonstrate Newton's third law, the action and reaction force pairs work as follows:
1. Action Force: The action force in the case of a balloon car is the force of the air being expelled backward from the balloon. When you inflate the balloon and then release it, the air escapes from the opening of the balloon with force. According to Newton's third law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
2. Reaction Force: The reaction force is the force that propels the balloon car forward. As the air rushes out of the balloon in the backward direction, the car itself is pushed forward. This is the equal and opposite reaction to the action of the air being forced out.
These forces are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. In other words, the force that is pushing the air out of the balloon (action force) is matched by an equally strong force pushing the balloon car in the opposite direction (reaction force). It is this reaction force that causes the balloon car to move forward.
It's important to note that these forces act on different objects: the action force acts on the air inside the balloon, and the reaction force acts on the balloon car itself. This illustrates Newton's third law which can be summarized as "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." The motion of your balloon car is the result of the interaction between the action and reaction forces.
