Question

A basketball player jumps into the air, and shoots the 505 g basketball directly eastward with a force of 14.9 N. What is the force that

the ball exerts on the player?
14.9 N to the east
7.52 N to the east
7.52 N to the west
14.9 N to the west

Answer 1

According to Newton's Third Law of Motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, if the basketball exerts a force on the player, the player must also exert an equal and opposite force on the basketball.
The force that the ball exerts on the player is 14.9 N to the east.



Therefore, the force that the player exerts on the ball is 14.9 N to the west, which is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the force exerted by the ball on the player.
So, the answer is 14.9 N to the west.