In Figure 7.11, Earth and the ball form an action/reaction pair. Is F(Earth on Ball) the action force or the reaction force?

Question

In Figure 7.11, Earth and the ball form an action/reaction pair. Is F(Earth on Ball) the action force or the reaction force?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks us to identify the nature of the force F(Earth on Ball) within the action–reaction pair for Earth and a ball in contact.
Option 1: 'Action Force' — This is the force that Earth exerts on the ball. In Newton's third law pairs, the force of Earth on the ball is the action member, while the ball on Earth is the reaction member. Since the force in question acts on the ball and is the counterpart to the ball’s force on Earth, labeling it as the action force fits the standard pair naming.
Option 2: 'Reaction Force' — The reaction force would be the force of the ball on the Earth. It acts on Earth, opposite the Earth-on-ball force, and is the partner in the pair. Therefore, this option misidentifies the force in question.
Option 3: 'An action force is not distinguishable from a reaction force' — This statement confuses the conceptual distinction between the two forces in a third-law pair. Although the two forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, they act on different bodies and are conceptually labeled as action and reaction. They are not the same force acting on the same object, so saying they are indistinguishable ignores the body-to-body pairing and the directionality.
So, the reasoning shows that Option 1 correctly identifies the Earth-on-ball force as the action force, while Options 2 and 3 misapply or misstate the relationship between the two forces in Newton's third law pairs.

PHYS 2305 Spring 25 Lin Quiz 05 - Chapter 7 (7.1-7.5)

In Figure 7.11, Earth and the ball form an action/reaction pair. Is F(Earth on Ball) the action force or the reaction force?

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