Which statement best describes Newton's Third Law regarding action-reaction pairs?

Which statement best describes Newton's Third Law regarding action-reaction pairs?

• A. They occur on the same body with equal magnitude and opposite direction.
• B. They occur on two different bodies, equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
• C. They occur only when there is a contact force.
• D. They cause acceleration but do not affect the other body.

Answer: (B)

Action-reaction pairs involve forces that two different bodies exert on each other. They have the same magnitude and opposite direction, and they act simultaneously on both bodies involved in the interaction. This is why describing the pair as two forces on two different objects with equal magnitude and opposite directions is the correct way to state Newton's Third Law. For example, when you push on a wall, your hand pushes the wall with a certain force, and the wall pushes back on your hand with an equal and opposite force. And this applies not only to contact interactions but also to other forces, like gravity, where the Earth and object exert equal and opposite forces on each other. The other descriptions fail because they either place the forces on the same body, rely only on contact forces, or say the reaction doesn’t affect the other object.

Action-reaction pairs involve forces that two different bodies exert on each other. They have the same magnitude and opposite direction, and they act simultaneously on both bodies involved in the interaction. This is why describing the pair as two forces on two different objects with equal magnitude and opposite directions is the correct way to state Newton's Third Law.

For example, when you push on a wall, your hand pushes the wall with a certain force, and the wall pushes back on your hand with an equal and opposite force. And this applies not only to contact interactions but also to other forces, like gravity, where the Earth and object exert equal and opposite forces on each other.

The other descriptions fail because they either place the forces on the same body, rely only on contact forces, or say the reaction doesn’t affect the other object.