2 newton’s laws of motion before you read imagine stepping off the bed of a pickup truck onto a platform. as…

2 newton’s laws of motion before you read imagine stepping off the bed of a pickup truck onto a platform. as you step you push against the truck bed. now imagine stepping off of a skateboard with the same effort. what happens to the truck and the skateboard as you step off of them?

2 newton’s laws of motion before you read imagine stepping off the bed of a pickup truck onto a platform. as you step you push against the truck bed. now imagine stepping off of a skateboard with the same effort. what happens to the truck and the skateboard as you step off of them?

Answer

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Newton's third - law

According to Newton's third law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When you step off the truck bed or the skateboard, you exert a force on them.

Step2: Analyze mass and acceleration relationship

The truck has a much larger mass than the skateboard. From Newton's second law $F = ma$ (where $F$ is force, $m$ is mass, and $a$ is acceleration), for the same force $F$, a larger mass $m$ results in a smaller acceleration $a$.

Step3: Describe the motion

When you step off the truck, due to its large mass, the truck will move only a tiny amount (nearly imperceptible) in the opposite direction of your motion. When you step off the skateboard, because of its small mass, it will move a relatively large distance in the opposite direction of your motion.

Answer:

The truck moves a tiny amount in the opposite direction of your stepping - off motion due to its large mass. The skateboard moves a relatively large distance in the opposite direction of your stepping - off motion due to its small mass.