suppose you exert 150N on your refrigerator and push it across the kitchen floor at constant velocity.
a. is the friction force equal and opposite to your 200N push? explain
b. does the friction force make up the reaction force to your push?
What 200N push, you are pushing with 150N/
This question is flawed.
huh??
a. No, the friction force is not equal and opposite to your 200N push. In this scenario, if you are exerting a force of 150N on the refrigerator, and it is moving at a constant velocity, it means that the forces acting on the refrigerator are balanced. According to Newton's first law of motion (also known as the law of inertia), an object at rest or in motion with a constant velocity will continue to do so unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
The 150N force you exert on the refrigerator is your applied force. To keep the refrigerator moving at a constant velocity, the force of friction between the refrigerator and the kitchen floor must be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to your applied force of 150N. Therefore, the friction force will have a magnitude of 150N, not 200N. If the friction force were greater than 150N, the refrigerator would decelerate, whereas if the friction force were less than 150N, the refrigerator would accelerate.
b. No, the friction force does not make up the reaction force to your push. The reaction force to your push is the equal and opposite force that the refrigerator exerts on you, according to Newton's third law of motion. When you push the refrigerator with a force of 150N, the refrigerator applies an equal and opposite force of 150N on you.
The friction force, on the other hand, is a separate force acting between the refrigerator and the kitchen floor. It serves to oppose the motion of the refrigerator and maintain a constant velocity. The reaction force to the friction force is the force that the kitchen floor exerts on the refrigerator.