Are there any forces acting on the apple? After a gust of wind has blown through a tree, an apple falls to the ground.

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Question: Are there any forces acting on the apple? After a gust of wind has blown through a tree, an apple falls to the ground.

First, consider the physical scenario: the apple is detached from the tree and is moving downward toward the ground after a wind gust.

- Gravity acts on the apple, pulling it downward toward the Earth. This is a constant force that affects all objects with mass.
- Air resistance (drag) acts opposite the motion of the apple through the air; as the apple accelerates downward, it experiences a upward drag force that can affect its acceleration, especially at higher speeds.
- The gust of wind may have imparted a horizontal or additional initial push, but once the apple is falling, gravity and drag are the primary forces in play during the descent. If the wind is still, there is no sustained horizontal force after the gust passes, but gravity and drag remain.

So, there are indeed forces acting on the apple: gravity pulling it downward and air resistance acting upward (and possibly a brief horizontal force from the wind gust during the initial moment). In physics terms, the apple experiences at least the weight force (mg) and the drag force (often denoted Fd), with the net force determining its downward acceleration.

If one were to claim there are no forces acting on the apple, that would ignore these fundamental interactions with Earth’s gravity and the surrounding air, which is inconsistent with Newtonian mechanics. Therefore, the statement that there are forces acting on the apple is true.

FFP001 Threshold Quiz 4 | LA017

Are there any forces acting on the apple? After a gust of wind has blown through a tree, an apple falls to the ground.

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