Question

A 70-kg adult and a 35-kg child face each other on ice skates. Applying Newton's Laws of Motion, what will happen if the two skaters push against each other?

a) They will move away from each other.
b) They will move toward each other.
c) They will remain stationary.
d) They will both fall.

Answer 1

When the two skaters push against each other, they exert equal but opposite forces on each other and will move towards each other.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Newton's third law of motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When the two skaters push against each other, they exert equal but opposite forces on each other.

The force exerted on the adult skater by the child skater is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the force exerted on the child skater by the adult skater. As a result, the two skaters will move towards each other.

The direction of their movement will depend on the difference between their masses. Since the adult skater has a greater mass, the center of mass of the system will move more towards the adult skater.