Question

What is the sum of the forces in an action reaction pair?

O A.
always less than zero
B.
always greater than zero
C.
always equal to zero
sometimes less than zero
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Answer 1

C. always equal to zero

Explanation:

According to newton's third law of motion, every action is always associated with equal and opposite reactions.

If object A applies a force to object B, then object B imparts a force equal to that of A towards it. So, the direction of force is opposite to each other.

The action force is called 'Fa' and the reaction force is '-Fr'

Due to the reversal of direction, the magnitude of the reaction force has a negative sign.

Fa = - Fr

∴ Fa + (-Fr) = 0

Hence, sum of these two forces is equal to zero.