Question

Two stars are near each other, and experience gravitational force between them. What does Newton's third law say about them?

a) The forces are unequal
b) The forces act in opposite directions
c) There is no gravitational force between them
d) The forces are equal and opposite

Answer 1

Newton's third law states that the gravitational forces between two stars are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, and they act on different bodies.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Newton's third law of motion, if two stars are near each other and experience gravitational force, they exert equal and opposite forces upon each other.

This means that the gravitational force one star exerts on the other is exactly equal in magnitude but acts in the opposite direction. Importantly, these forces act on different bodies: the force from the first star acts on the second star, and vice versa, ensuring that they do not cancel each other out. Hence, the correct answer to the question is d) The forces are equal and opposite.