A sledgehammer is swung at a wall. Once the sledgehammer hits the wall it does not breakthrough. How do the hammer and the wall act on each other?
a The hammer and the wall exert forces on each other that are equal in magnitude and in the same direction
b The hammer and the wall exert forces on each other that are equal in magnitude but in opposite directions
c The hammer exerts a stronger force than the wall but in the opposite direction
d The hammer exerts a stronger force than the wall but in the same directon
b The hammer and the wall exert forces on each other that are equal in magnitude but in opposite directions
b The hammer and the wall exert forces on each other that are equal in magnitude but in opposite directions
The correct answer is b) The hammer and the wall exert forces on each other that are equal in magnitude but in opposite directions.
When the sledgehammer hits the wall, both objects experience a force known as an action-reaction pair, according to Newton's third law of motion. According to this law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
In this case, when the sledgehammer exerts a force on the wall, the wall exerts an equal but opposite force on the sledgehammer. This is why the forces are of equal magnitude, but pushing in opposite directions.
The reason the wall does not break is likely because it is designed to withstand the force of a sledgehammer. Alternatively, the sledgehammer may not have been swung with enough force to break through the wall.