Final answer:
Using the law of conservation of momentum and Newton's third law of motion, the magnitude of the average force exerted by the tennis ball on the racket is equal to the magnitude of the average force exerted by the racket on the ball during impact.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the scenario where a 0.060 kg tennis ball moving at 15 m/s strikes a tennis racket and rebounds at 10 m/s in the opposite direction while in contact with the racket for 0.030 s, we can calculate the magnitude of the average force exerted on the racket by the ball using the principle of conservation of momentum and Newton's third law of motion.
First, the change in momentum of the ball (which is equal to the impulse) can be calculated by taking the difference between the final and initial momenta (considering direction). The impulse is then equal to the average force times the time interval.
By applying Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, we can conclude that the magnitude of the average force exerted by the ball on the racket is equal to the magnitude of the average force exerted by the racket on the ball, despite changes in velocity or direction. Therefore, if the question is asking about the magnitudes, then they are the same.