Question

In a billiards game, the white cue ball hits the black ball, moving the black ball to the right while the cue ball moves to the left. If the action force is applied by the cue ball to the black ball, which force is the reaction force?

A) the force applied to the black ball by the cue ball
B) the force applied by the stick to the cue ball
C) the friction applied by the table to the cue ball
D) the force of gravity on the cue ball

Answer 1

In a billiards game, the reaction force to the cue ball hitting the black ball is the force the black ball applies back to the cue ball, illustrating Newton's Third Law of Motion.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a billiards game, when the white cue ball hits the black ball, the reaction force to the action force applied by the cue ball to the black ball is the force that the black ball applies back to the cue ball. This is an application of Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action force, there is an equal and opposite reaction force. The forces act on different bodies: one on the black ball, and the reaction on the cue ball, hence, they don't cancel each other out and each affects the motion of its respective object.