Question

Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the above-mentioned law of motion?

Statement 1$:$ In every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects.

Statement 2$:$ The size of the force on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object.

Statement 3$:$ Forces always come in pairs - equal and opposite action-reaction force pairs.

Statement 4$:$ Action and reaction act on the same body.

Statement 5$:$ Action and reaction act on two different bodies.

• A. All statements can be inferred from 3^rd law of motion
• B. All statements except 5 can be inferred from 3^rd law of motion
• C. All statements except 4 can be inferred from 3^rd law of motion
• D. Only statement 1 can be inferred from 3^rd law of motion

Answer 1

The correct option is C

All statements except 4 can be inferred from 3^rd law of motion

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the force on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object. The direction of the force on the first object is opposite to the direction of the force on the second object. Forces always come in equal and opposite action-reaction pairs.

Force and reaction act on two different bodies, not on the same body (otherwise the net force will be zero). So, the statement 4 is incorrect.