Question

When a fruit falls from a tree, what is the nature of the force that the fruit exerts on the Earth?

• A. Equal and opposite to the magnitude of the gravitational force
• B. The fruit does not exert any force on the Earth
• C. Equal but in the same direction.
• D. Cannot be determined with the given information

Answer 1

The correct option is A

Equal and opposite to the magnitude of the gravitational force

According to Newton’s third law of motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The fruit which gets attracted by the Earth exerts a force of equal magnitude on the Earth in the opposite direction. Consider the force exerted by apple on the Earth as action and force exerted by the Earth on apple as a reaction.