Two ice skaters push off from each other on a frictionless surface. What will be observed about their motion?
Both skaters move away from each other in opposite directions with equal and opposite forces.
When two bodies interact, Newton's third law says the force exerted by the first on the second is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force exerted by the second on the first.
As the two skaters push against each other, each experiences a push from the other of equal size but opposite direction.
On a frictionless surface no external horizontal force acts, so each skater accelerates in the direction of the push she receives, moving away from her partner along opposite lines.
The lighter skater gains more speed than the heavier one (from F = ma), but the mutual forces themselves remain equal and opposite.
Hence, both skaters move apart in opposite directions under equal and opposite forces.
Similar Questions
If two bodies of equal mass are acted upon by unequal forces for the same time, then the body on which the larger force acts will have _________.
Which situation demonstrates the correct application of the force formula?
A 0.6 kg soccer ball and a 1.0 kg basketball are kicked with the same acceleration. Which will experience a greater force, according to Newton's second law?
Which situation demonstrates Newton’s second law of motion?
If a car is gradually pushed to a speed of 1 m/s, what determines the change in its momentum according to the second law of motion?
A student applies a constant force on a box at an angle to the horizontal, and the box moves in a straight horizontal line on a rough surface. Which statement correctly describes the work done by the applied force on the box?
During the firing of a gun, the bullet moves forward while the gun recoils backward. Which option correctly identifies the action and the corresponding reaction in this situation?
In a tug-of-war, Team A pulls Team B with a force of 300 N. According to Newton's Third Law, what force does Team B exert on Team A?
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What happens to the magnitude of action and reaction forces in Newton’s third law pairs?
Important Questions from Laws of Motion
Which of the following is correct?
I. The mass of an object is a measure of its inertia
II. In an isolated system the total momentum remains conserved
A 20.0 kg block is placed on a smooth horizontal table. A horizontal force of 12.0 Newton is applied to the block. The position of the block at 5.0 sec is
A subway train starts from rest at a station and accelerates at a rate of 3 ms-2 for 10s. It then runs at a constant speed for 20s and decelerates at 5 ms-2 unit it stops at the next station. The distance between the two stations is:
In a desert, a beetle's motion sends fast longitudinal pulses, vL = 150 ms-1, and slower transverse pulses, vS = 50 ms-1, along the sand's surface. The sand scorpion has eight legs; spread roughly in a circle of 5 cm diameter, intercepts the faster longitudinal pulses 4.0 ms earlier than the slower transverse pulse. The pray is located at a distance of:
- Why do passengers in a moving car tend to jerk forward when the brakes are suddenly applied?
