If every action has an equal and opposite reaction then

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Why does anything move at a local and universe scale ? Shouldn’t we have achieved equilibrium and perpetual rest ?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Yeah, balance means equilibrium, but it does not mean static equilibrium for every object. The classic example of momentum in a classroom: you are standing on a frictionless frozen lake holding a backpack. You can’t run or walk because there’s no friction on the ice. To get to the edge of the lake, you throw your backpack. If you weigh 10 times what your backpack does, you will fly off at 1:10 for speed in the opposite direction. Neither you or the backpack are stationary, but the entire system of you in the backpack is balanced.

But in the real world, you will come to a stop, because there is air resistance and there will be some friction on the ice. But now the air is moving a little bit more, the planet is spinning a little bit differently, and the ice underneath your feet is a little bit warmer. All still in equilibrium, but on a wider scale.

But there is a lot of energy in the universe, so it takes a long time for it to spread out evenly. We are riding a swinging pendulum that hasn’t settled yet.

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