a comet is traveling by earth. what is the correct relationship of forces acting between earth and the comet?
a comet is traveling by earth. what is the correct relationship of forces acting between earth and the comet?
Answer
Answer: The second option (the one with arrows pointing towards each other)
Explanation:
Step1: Recall Newton's third - law
According to Newton's third law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Step2: Analyze gravitational force
The gravitational force between Earth and the comet is an attractive force. Earth exerts a gravitational pull on the comet, and the comet exerts an equal - magnitude gravitational pull on Earth in the opposite direction. So the arrows representing the forces should point towards each other.