According to Newton's Third Law of Motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction acting on different bodies. Match each described mechanical action force in the left column with its precise corresponding reaction force in the right column.
- Action: A ship's propeller pushes water backward.Reaction: The water exerts a forward thrust force on the ship's propeller.
- Action: A pneumatic nail gun drives a nail forward.Reaction: The nail exerts a backward recoil force on the pneumatic nail gun.
- Action: A forklift's drive wheels push backward against the warehouse floor.Reaction: The warehouse floor exerts a forward frictional force on the drive wheels.
- Action: A hydraulic ram presses downward on a piece of sheet metal.Reaction: The sheet metal exerts an upward force on the hydraulic ram.
Answer
The correct matches pair the specific interacting bodies in each scenario by reversing the direction of the force and swapping the subject and object.
In every mechanical interaction, forces occur in equal and opposite pairs. To correctly identify the reaction force, you must isolate the exact two interacting bodies and simply reverse both the direction of the force and their roles. If Body A pushes Body B forward, the precise reaction is Body B pushing Body A backward.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Newton's Third Law states that force pairs consist of the exact same two interacting bodies, with the roles of the 'pusher' and 'pushed' swapped, and the direction of the force inverted.
Estimated Time:1m 30s