Question

Which of the following statements is/are true for action and reaction forces? They:
A. Act on two different objects
B. Have equal magnitude
C. Have opposite directions
D. Have a zero resultant

Answer 1

Hint:First, understand what action and reaction forces are. To understand it you will need to recall Newton’s third law, using this law you will know about the magnitude and direction of action and reaction forces. Then check each option one by one and compare it with Newton’s third law to know whether it’s correct or incorrect.

Complete answer:
Given, to find which of the options given above is/are true for action and reaction forces.First, let us know what action and reaction forces are. According to Newton’s third law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, which means when there is an action force there is a reaction force too.Now, let us analyze each option one by one.

Act on two different objects: For action and reaction forces, we need two objects one object would give the action force and the other would give the reaction force. Therefore, option A is correct.

Have equal magnitude: From Newton’s third law we have the action and reaction are equal, that is magnitude of action and reaction forces are the same. Therefore, option B is correct.

Have opposite direction: From Newton’s third law, we have the action and reaction occur opposite to each other, that is, the direction of action and reaction forces are opposite to each other. Therefore option C is correct.

Have a zero resultant: The direction of action and reaction forces are opposite to each other which mean they will cancel each other and the resultant of the two forces will be zero. Therefore, option D is correct.

Hence, all the options are correct.

Note:There are three laws of motion given by Newton, these are;
1. Newton’s first law:- According to Newton’s first law, a body in rest or in uniform motion remains in the same state unless an external force acts upon the body.
2. Newton’s second law:- According to Newton’s second law, the force of a body is equal to the product of its mass and acceleration.
3. Newton’s third law:- According to Newton’s third law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.