Final answer:
The shopper is exerting an applied force on the cart, which is necessary to move the cart against friction and maintain its motion. The correct answer is c) Applied force.
Step-by-step explanation:
The shopper in a supermarket who is pushing a loaded cart is exerting an applied force. This force is intentional and directed, and it is the effort from the shopper to move the cart from one place to another. While pushing the cart, the shopper also has to work against frictional force, which resists the motion.
There is also a normal force exerted by the ground on the cart, which balances the gravitational force acting on the cart. This normal force is perpendicular to the surface of contact. However, the relevant answer to the question is the applied force by the shopper.
The type of force that the shopper is exerting on the loaded cart is the applied force.
When the shopper pushes the cart, they are applying a force in the direction that they want the cart to move. This force overcomes the frictional force and causes the cart to accelerate. The magnitude of the applied force depends on the mass of the cart and the desired acceleration.