Which one is an example of action and reaction forces?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Begin by identifying what the question is asking: an example of action and reaction forces, i.e., Newton's third law where forces come in equal and opposite pairs.
Option a: 'You push a table, the table does not move.' This describes a scenario where the action occurs but the reaction force is not evident in the description; it could be static friction or insufficient force to move the table, but it does not illustrate the wall's counterforce as a direct reaction to your push. The key here is that a reaction force is present when the other object pushes back, which is not stated.
Option b: 'You punch a wall, the wall punches back at you.' This directly demonstrates action and reaction forces: your hand applies force to the wall, and the wall applies an equal and opposite force back on your hand. This is a textbook example of Newton's third law in a contact interaction, showing both forces occur between two objects.
Option c: 'You kick a ball, the ball moves away from you.' While the ball moving is a consequence of your kick, this describes the outcome rather than the presence of a counteracting force on you; it does not explicitly illustrate the wall or object applying a force back on you, which is essential to action-reaction pairs.
Option d: 'You drop a book, the book hits the floor.' This describes the event of a book colliding with the floor, which involves force exchange, but it does not present a explicit pair acting back on the person or the initial object in the same interaction; it’s more about gravity and impact rather than the mutual, simultaneous action-reaction pair between two interacting bodies in the sense of Newton's third law.
Overall, the key idea is to look for a situation where two objects exert equal and opposite forces on each other in the same interaction, which is clearly shown in option b. The other options either describe a consequence without a clear counterforce acting on the initiator or involve forces not framed as a mutual interaction between two bodies in contact.

UCIC 202503 PHYS101 Quiz 2

Which one is an example of action and reaction forces?

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