Question

A child's toy is suspended from the ceiling by means of a string. The Earth pulls downward on the toy with its weight force of 8.0 N. If this is the "action force," what is the "reaction force"?

Answer 1

Answer:

Reaction force, F = -8 N

Explanation:

It is given that, the Earth pulls downward on the toy with its weight force of 8.0 N. This problem is based on the problem of Newton's third law of motion. It states that "there is an equal and opposite reaction for every action". Mathematically, it is given by :

$F_{12}=-F_{21}$

$F_{12}$ = is the force exerted on object 1 due to object 2

$F_{21}$ = is the force exerted on object 2 due to object 1

Here, the force with which the earth exert on the toy is action force. The reaction force is equal to :

F = -8 N (-ve sign shows the direction of reaction force is upward)

or

The toy pulling upward on the earth with an 8 N force. Hence, this is the required solution.