Study the image
A girl holds an apple with two equal opposing forces: an upward force of hand on apple, and downward force of Earth on apple.
Which of these correctly explains whether this image is an example of Newton’s third law, and why?
Girl holding an apple. Labels added by FlipSwitch.
Girl: Medina, Lorelyn/Shutterstock; Apple: veronchick84/Shutterstock
Responses
This is an example of Newton’s third law because they are equal in strength, opposite in direction, and acting on one object.
This is an example of Newton’s third law because they are equal in strength, opposite in direction, and acting on one object.
This is not an example of Newton’s third law because although the forces are equal in strength and opposite in direction, they are acting on one object.
This is not an example of Newton’s third law because although the forces are equal in strength and opposite in direction, they are acting on one object.
This is not an example of Newton’s third law because although they are acting in opposite directions, the forces are unequal in strength.
This is not an example of Newton’s third law because although they are acting in opposite directions, the forces are unequal in strength.
This is not an example of Newton’s third law because although the forces are equal in strength the forces are in the same direction.
This is not an example of Newton's third law because although the forces are equal in strength and opposite in direction, they are acting on one object. Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, which means that the forces must be acting on two different objects. In this case, both the upward force of the girl's hand on the apple and the downward force of the Earth on the apple are acting on the same object, which is the apple. Therefore, this image is not an example of Newton's third law.
The correct response is:
This is an example of Newton’s third law because they are equal in strength, opposite in direction, and acting on one object.
Explanation: Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this image, the girl is applying an upward force on the apple, and the Earth is exerting a downward force on the apple. These forces are equal in strength, opposite in direction, and acting on the same object (the apple). Therefore, this image represents Newton's third law.