Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh): A researcher from Himachal Pradesh has proposed what he describes as a significant generalization of Newton's Third Law of Motion, a principle that has remained a cornerstone of classical physics for more than 340 years. The proposal, developed after over four decades of independent research, has been published in several peer-reviewed international scientific journals and conference proceedings.
Ajay Sharma, a native of Deotsidh in Hamirpur district, argues that while Newton's Third Law states:
"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,"
this equality may hold only under idealized or specified conditions. According to Sharma's proposed generalization, the reaction is proportional to the action rather than necessarily equal to it in all situations.
Four Decades of Independent Research
Sharma has devoted the past 44 years to studying the limitations and possible extension of Newton's Third Law. He retired as Assistant Director of Education in March 2021 after a distinguished career in education and had earlier served as a Physics teacher at DAV College, Chandigarh.
His research has undergone peer review by expert scientists and has appeared in international scientific journals, conference proceedings, and academic publications.
International Scientific Recognition
Sharma's work has received attention in several respected scientific forums.
His recent research papers were published in the proceedings of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), London, and were also presented at IIT Ropar.
Earlier, his research was featured in Elsevier's Science Talks (Oxford), where both his lecture and article on the proposed generalization of Newton's Third Law were published.
His research has also appeared in journals including:
Physics Education (Indian Association of Physics Teachers)
Physics Essays (Canada)
Other peer-reviewed international journals
According to Sharma, all of his published papers and scientific articles are freely available online for researchers, teachers, students, and the general public.
A Turning Point in Washington
A significant milestone came on August 1, 2018, when Sharma presented his research at the international conference of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) in Washington, D.C.
Following his presentation, an American physicist reportedly told him:
"Ajay, if your proposed generalization of Newton's Third Law is confirmed experimentally, it could become a contribution of Nobel-level significance. Good luck."
Sharma attended the conference entirely at his own expense without financial assistance from any government agency.
He says the encouragement strengthened his determination to continue the research, leading to further publications in internationally recognized journals.
Call for Experimental Validation
Sharma believes the proposed generalization now requires independent experimental verification. Having retired from government service, he says he no longer has access to laboratory facilities or research infrastructure necessary to conduct the experiments.
He has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to facilitate experimental testing of his proposal at a suitable laboratory in India.
According to Sharma, if validated independently, the findings could represent a significant scientific contribution and may eventually find a place in physics textbooks worldwide.
"India has the potential to emerge as a Vishwa Guru in science through original research," Sharma said.
Appeal to Himachal Pradesh Government
Sharma also expressed gratitude to successive Governments of Himachal Pradesh and several administrative officers for their encouragement during his research journey.
He has requested Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to direct the Department of Science, Technology and Environment to consider supporting the proposed experimental project.
He noted that Himachal Pradesh now has multiple government and private universities, central universities, and an IIT capable of establishing the required laboratory facilities.
According to Sharma, the proposed experiments could be completed within approximately six months at an estimated cost of around ₹20 lakh.
Why Sharma Believes Newton's Law Needs Generalization
One of the central arguments in Sharma's research concerns the limitations of Newton's Third Law in accounting for the shape of a body.
He argues that during collisions and rebounds, the geometry of an object significantly influences its behavior. Bodies made of the same material and having the same mass—but different shapes such as spherical, hemispherical, conical, flat, needle-like, triangular, or irregular—can exhibit noticeably different rebound characteristics.
According to Sharma, Newton's Third Law does not explicitly incorporate the effects of body shape, material properties, surface characteristics, or other physical parameters.
His proposed generalization seeks to include these factors by treating the reaction as proportional to the action, rather than universally equal, with proportionality depending on the physical conditions involved.
Scientific Status
Sharma emphasizes that his work represents a proposed theoretical generalization that has been peer-reviewed and published in scientific literature. However, he acknowledges that independent experimental validation remains essential before the proposal can gain broader scientific acceptance.
He believes that systematic laboratory testing is the next critical step in determining whether the proposed extension can become part of mainstream physics.