Question

A man is at rest in the middle of a pond on perfectly smooth ice. He can get himself to the shore by making use of Newton's

• A. first law
• B. second law
• C. third law
• D. all the laws

Answer 1

The correct option is C

third law

Explanation of the correct option:

Option (C) : The third law

1. He can get to shore using Newton's third law of motion.
2. When a man exerts force on the surface of ice, the ice provides a response force.
3. As a result, this response force will assist him in moving ahead.
4. As a result, Newton's Third Law will assist him in reaching the beach.

Explanation of the incorrect option:

Option (A) : First law

1. Newton's first law asserts that if a body is at rest or travelling at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or continue to move in a straight path at a constant speed until acted on by a force.
2. Hence, A man is at rest in the middle of a pond on perfectly smooth ice. He can get himself to the shore by making use of Newton's third law.

Option (B) : The second law

1. The basic equation of motion in classical mechanics is Newton's second law, which says that the force F acting on a body is equal to the mass m of the body multiplied by the acceleration of its centre of mass, $F=ma$.

Option (D) : All the laws

1. A man is lying down on flawlessly smooth ice in the centre of a pond.
2. He can reach the coast by employing only Newton's third law.

Hence, option (C) is the correct answer.