![]() So let's say that the baseball weighs 1 pound, and your body plus the space suit weighs 100 pounds. ![]() Whatever force you apply to the baseball will be equalized by an identical reaction force applied to your body (m * a = m * a). Mass multiplied by acceleration is force (f = m * a). The thing that controls the speed at which your body moves away is the weight of the baseball that you throw and the amount of acceleration that you apply to it. If you throw the baseball, your body will react by moving in the opposite direction of the ball. Imagine the following situation: You are wearing a space suit and you are floating in space beside the space shuttle you happen to have a baseball in your hand. Next, we'll look at another scenario that explains action and reaction: the space baseball. When you throw them out the nozzle of a balloon, the rest of the balloon reacts in the opposite direction. Many people believe that air molecules don't weigh anything, but they do (see the page on helium to get a better picture of the weight of air). In this case, what is being thrown is the air molecules inside the balloon. When you blow up a balloon and let it go so that it flies all over the room before running out of air, you have created a rocket engine.If the firefighters were all standing on skateboards, the hose would propel them backward at great speed! If they were to let go of the hose, it would thrash around with tremendous force. The hose is throwing water in one direction, and the firefighters are using their strength and weight to counteract the reaction. ![]()
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