Which law is demonstrated when a balloon jets air backwards causing it to move forward?

Which law is demonstrated when a balloon jets air backwards causing it to move forward?

• 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 the balloon jets air backward, it creates thrust because of action and reaction. The balloon pushes the air backward, and the air pushes the balloon forward with an equal and opposite force. This forward push is what accelerates the balloon, so it moves in the opposite direction of the expelled air. This is Newton's Third Law in action. The other ideas—like inertia, which is about resisting changes in motion; or gravity, which governs attraction between masses—don’t explain why the balloon starts moving in the first place. The situation specifically shows the action-reaction pair that produces propulsion.

When the balloon jets air backward, it creates thrust because of action and reaction. The balloon pushes the air backward, and the air pushes the balloon forward with an equal and opposite force. This forward push is what accelerates the balloon, so it moves in the opposite direction of the expelled air. This is Newton's Third Law in action. The other ideas—like inertia, which is about resisting changes in motion; or gravity, which governs attraction between masses—don’t explain why the balloon starts moving in the first place. The situation specifically shows the action-reaction pair that produces propulsion.