Question

"action and reaction forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction". Then, why do they not balance each other?

Answer 1

Because these forces act on different bodies and hence cannot cancel each other .

For eg :- if a force of 20N(action force) is applied to a body by our hands then a force of -20N (reaction force) act on our hands . Since the forces are on different objects ,they won't cancel.

Hope it helps:)

Answer 2

Answer : Newton's third law of motion states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This means that forces always act in pairs. Action and reaction forces are equal and opposite, but they are not balanced forces because they act on different objects so they don't cancel out.