Newton's _____ law explains why my hands hurt when I clap loudly.
1st
2nd
3rd
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.
Newton's 3rd law explains why your hands hurt when you clap loudly.
The law that explains why your hands hurt when you clap loudly is Newton's 3rd law of motion. According to this law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
To understand why your hands hurt when you clap loudly, we can break it down using Newton's 3rd law. When you bring your hands together to clap, you are applying a force on the air molecules between your hands. This force causes the air molecules to compress, creating a pressure wave that propagates as sound.
Now, when your hands meet and the collision occurs, your hands exert a force on each other. For instance, let's say your right hand applies a force on your left hand during the clap. According to Newton's 3rd law, your left hand will simultaneously apply an equal and opposite force on your right hand.
The impact force generated by the collision of your hands creates a significant reaction force, which can be transmitted to your hands' bones, muscles, and tissues. This reaction force is what causes the sensation of pain or discomfort when you clap loudly.
In summary, Newton's 3rd law of motion explains that the force you apply while clapping is met with an equal and opposite force, leading to the sensation of pain or discomfort in your hands.