Question

Describe the action and reaction force pairs involved when an object falls toward Earth. Ignore the effects of air resistance.

a) True
b) False

Answer 1

When an object falls toward Earth, there are two force pairs involved:

1. Gravitational force pair
2. Normal force pair

Step-by-step explanation:

When an object falls to the earth, two pairs of forces are involved.

Gravitational Force Pair:

• Object-Earth Gravitational Force (Fg): The force that attracts the object toward Earth’s center of mass.
• Earth-Object Gravitational Force (Fge): The force that attracts Earth toward the object.

Normal Force Pair:

• Object-Ground Normal Force (Fn): The force that opposes the object’s downward motion and pushes it against the ground.
• Ground-Object Normal Force (Fng): The force that opposes the ground’s upward motion and pushes it against the object.

This pair of forces can be classified as an action-reaction pair, indicating that the forces are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. It is important to note that the weight of the object (Fg) is equivalent to the normal force (Fn) exerted by the ground on the object, while the weight of the Earth (Fge) is equal to the normal force (Fng) exerted by objects on the ground.

Complete question:

Describe the action and reaction force pairs involved when an object falls toward Earth. Ignore the effects of air resistance.