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LESSON 1 · Forces You Feel Every Day

Walking Is Controlled Falling

You use all three Newton's laws every time you walk, and you have never thought about it.

Third law: you push the ground backward, the ground pushes you forward. That is friction — without it, you would slip like on ice.

Try walking on a frozen lake. Your foot pushes back, but ice cannot push you forward enough. All three laws still apply — they just conspire against you.