Question

Newton's third law states that every force has an equal and opposite reaction. In the scenario of a person punching a wall and the wall breaking, which statement is true?

a) The wall was able to withstand the force and provided an equal force in the opposite direction.
b) The wall wasn't able to withstand the force but provided an equal force in the opposite direction.
c) The wall was able to withstand the force but didn't provide an equal force in the opposite direction.
d) The wall wasn't able to withstand the force and didn't provide an equal force in the opposite direction.

Answer 1

The correct statement is that the wall wasn't able to withstand the force but provided an equal force in the opposite direction, in line with Newton's third law.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Newton's third law of motion, whenever a first object exerts a force on a second object, the second object will exert a force that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the first object. In the scenario of a person punching a wall and the wall breaking, the correct statement is: b) The wall wasn't able to withstand the force but provided an equal force in the opposite direction. This is because, regardless of the outcome (whether the wall breaks or not), Newton's third law still applies, meaning the wall must have exerted an equal and opposite force on the person's fist.