Question

You are pushing a refrigerator horizontally on a smooth floor exerting a 20 N force on it. Earth pulls on the refrigerator exerting a 300 N force on it. What is the force that the floor exerts on the refrigerator?

A. 20 N
B. 300 N
C. 320 N
D. 280 N

Answer 1

The force that the floor exerts on the refrigerator is 20 N.

Step-by-step explanation:

The force that the floor exerts on the refrigerator can be found by using Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, the action is the force exerted by the student pushing the refrigerator, and the reaction is the force exerted by the floor on the refrigerator.

The force that the floor exerts on the refrigerator is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force that the refrigerator exerts on the floor. Since the student is exerting a 20 N force on the refrigerator, the floor exerts a force of 20 N in the opposite direction.