Question

Which statement describes an action-reaction pair of forces?

a) A ski sliding exerts a force on the ice surface, and the rider exerts a force on the ski.
b) You exert a force on pushing your car, and the car exerts a force to the ground.
c) Steven pushes a grocery cart, and the grocery cart pushes him back with an equal amount of force.
d) Bottled water exerts a force on the table while the table exerts a force on the bottled water.

Answer 1

The correct statement is c) Steven pushes a grocery cart, and the grocery cart pushes him back with an equal amount of force, which is an example of Newton's third law of motion where forces come in pairs and are equal and opposite.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that describes an action-reaction pair of forces is c) Steven pushes a grocery cart, and the grocery cart pushes him back with an equal amount of force. According to Newton's third law of motion, whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second one exerts a force back on the first object that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. This law suggests that forces always come in pairs known as action and reaction. For example, when you push against a wall, the wall pushes back against you with the same amount of force. In the case of the grocery cart, when Steven pushes the cart, the cart pushes back against him, creating an action-reaction force pair.