A boy holds an apple in his hand. Why doesn’t gravity cause the apple to fall to the ground?
The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with equal magnitude to the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple.
The two forces are balanced, so the apple doesn't fall.
The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with greater magnitude than the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple.
The two forces are unbalanced, so the apple doesn't fall.
The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with greater magnitude than the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple. The two forces are balanced, so the apple doesn't fall.
The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with equal magnitude to the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple. The two forces are balanced, so the apple doesn't fall.
The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with equal magnitude to the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple.
The two forces are balanced, so the apple doesn't fall.
The correct explanation is: The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with equal magnitude to the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple. The two forces are balanced, so the apple doesn't fall.
Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward the center of the Earth. When an object is at rest on a surface, such as the ground, the force of gravity pulls it downward and is counteracted by an equal and opposite force exerted by the surface. In this case, however, the apple is being held in the boy's hand, not resting on a surface.
When the boy's hand is supporting the apple, it exerts an upward force on the apple. This force, known as the normal force, opposes the force of gravity. As long as the magnitude of the normal force is equal to the magnitude of the force of gravity, the two forces cancel each other out, resulting in a balanced system. This is why the apple doesn't fall to the ground.
It is important to note that if the force exerted by the hand is greater than the force of gravity, the two forces would still be balanced, and the apple would not fall. The key is that the forces need to be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to achieve a balanced system.