I believe it is a. any thoughts?
An object of weight W is in free-fall close to the surface of Earth. What is the force that the object exerts on Earth?
a. A force greater than W.
b. A force less than W.
c. A force equal to W.
d. No force at all.
2006-11-13 09:06:51 · 4 answers · asked by shaft0208 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
d
2006-11-13 09:10:38 · answer #1 · answered by amania_r 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You are confusing mass and weight. An object's weight is the force that gravity is exerting on it. The force it exerts on earth when it lands is from Newton's equation F = m * a. a is the acceleration, or in this case deceleration from the velocity it was moving before it hit earth to zero, after hitting earth.
There is a whole lot more to it, that would take up too much space here.
2006-11-13 09:18:52 · answer #2 · answered by Erwin B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer of course is c. The force exerted by earth on the body is its weight. The body exerts an equal and opposite force on earth - Newton's third law!
2006-11-13 22:04:57 · answer #3 · answered by muten 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are incorrect. The correct answer is c. I had this question come up on a quiz and this is the correct answer.
2006-11-13 11:29:01 · answer #4 · answered by SMS 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋