Imagine a fender bender between a large truck and a small car. During the impact,
Choose one answer.
a. the truck exerts a greater amount of force on the car than the car exerts on the truck
b. the car exerts a greater amount of force on the truck than the truck exerts on the car
c. neither object exerts a force on the other
d. the truck exerts a force on the car, but the car does not exert a force on the truck
e. the truck exerts the same amount of force on the car as the car exerts on the truck
no way a - third law action equal and opposite to reaction
no way b, same as a
no way c, they bumped
no way d, same reason as a and b
e, finally Newton's Third Law !!!
To determine the answer, we can refer to Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the case of a fender bender between a large truck and a small car, both objects experience a force due to the collision.
If we apply Newton's third law, we know that the force exerted by the truck on the car will be equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the force exerted by the car on the truck. Therefore, option (e) "the truck exerts the same amount of force on the car as the car exerts on the truck" is the correct answer.