You can keep a book pressed against a wall and prevent it from falling down. Can this horizontal force applied cancel the weight which is a vertical force ? Explain.
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Solution
The various forces acting on the book pressed against the wall are shown below.
The applied horizontal force will produce a normal force or normal reaction in the opposite direction of the applied horizontal force strictly in accordance with Newton's third law of motion.
Applied force = normal reaction.
Frictional force will be developed at the interface of the book and wall whose magnitude will be directly proportional to the normal force.
Frictional force developed will balance the weight of the book.
Clearly, the applied horizontal force produces a normal reaction which in turn produces a frictional force that balances the weight of the book.
Hence, due to the application of the horizontal force, the weight of the body gets canceled due to the frictional force developed.
