Final answer:
The statement that contact forces are not equal when one object accelerates another is false, as it contradicts Newton's Third Law of Motion which states that forces between two interacting objects are always equal and opposite.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that contact forces are not equal when one object accelerates another is false. According to Newton's Third Law of Motion, whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first. This is true regardless of whether or not the objects are accelerating. For example, if a person pushes against a wall, the wall pushes back with an equal and opposite force, even though the wall does not accelerate. However, the accelerations of the two objects involved may be different if they have different masses, as described by Newton's Second Law of Motion. The push or pull of one object might accelerate another object, but both objects experience forces of equal magnitude.
In the scenarios highlighted, the contact forces between interacting bodies are always equal and opposite, even if the consequences of these forces, such as acceleration, differ due to the objects' masses. As a result, the teams in a tug-of-war, for instance, would both exert forces, and if one team starts accelerating the other, it does not mean the magnitude of force they exert is any more or less equal as per Newton's Third Law.