College Essay DRAFT

Prompt: Science, math, and society are filled with postulates, laws, and theories like the Ninth Commandment, PV=nRT, Occam’s Razor, and H.R. 3541. Warm air rises.  Good (English) grammar requires “i” before “e” except after “c.”  So pick a law, any law, and explain its significance to you. 

            Twisting a doorknob triggers the metal to pull back, thus opening the door.  Opening new doors is often the basis for experiencing new things, expanding our knowledge, and introducing ourselves to the world. 

           

Isaac Newton once stated: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This law means that in every action, there is a pair of forces acting on the objects involved, wherein both forces involved are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, creating a relative reaction.  To this day, the law has yet to be contradicted, whether it is in science, or in the life of a high school student and athlete such as myself.

Gymnastics, known as a suicide sport to its athletes, consistently wears down an athlete’s body and mind. While Newton’s law is typically applied to science, I find that it is also true in other aspects of life.  When I swing on uneven bars, hands gripping and pulling with all my strength, my shoulders weaken, and test my ability to push myself any harder.   With every swing, my body wears down as a result.  And while every shock-filled jump, punch, and landing killed my ankles, I continued on. By this law, there is an equal reaction for every action.  By comprehending this further, I realized that the result would never differ, if the action doesn’t change. As there is always an equal reaction, learning to adapt and change a tiring result is a key element to being successful.  I find this law to be especially significant since it is so frequently used even without our knowledge.  The general idea that an action causes an equal reaction is used and applied to many fields.  In science, math, sports, art, or even social interactions, Newton’s Law never failed to be true.  

When I study for tests, or work on a project, the law applies here as well and my grades have equally reflected the amount of effort that I put in.  Also, even when I do day-to-day tasks, such as heating food in a microwave, the process becomes Newton’s law.  Hearing the “beep” of the microwave and pushing start causes the microwave to heat up, and the food to cook as a result.  Every step we take, every muscle contraction, and every thought we posses, all create equal and opposite reactions that we experience everyday.

             Understanding this law beyond the scientific approach is vital in order to prosper.  This law teaches us the principle to expect change, whether good or bad, and in turn readies us to adapt and aim for a better result.