A book is resting on a table. It has several forces acting on it, one of which is the force of gravity from the Earth pulling on the book. Describe the force acting upwards on the book, and discuss the action-reaction pairs that exist for both of these forces.
Question
A book is resting on a table. It has several forces acting on it, one of which is the force of gravity from the Earth pulling on the book. Describe the force acting upwards on the book, and discuss the action-reaction pairs that exist for both of these forces.
Solution
The force acting upwards on the book is known as the normal force. This is the force that a surface exerts on an object that is pressing against it. In this case, the table is exerting an upward force on the book to counteract the downward force of gravity. The normal force is always perpendicular to the surface that an object is resting on.
The action-reaction pairs in this scenario are described by Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The action-reaction pair for the force of gravity is the gravitational force that the book exerts on the Earth. While this force is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the Earth's gravitational force on the book, we do not notice it because the Earth's mass is so large that the book's gravitational force does not significantly affect it.
The action-reaction pair for the normal force is the force that the book exerts on the table. This force is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the normal force that the table exerts on the book. This is why the book and table do not move - the forces are balanced, resulting in no net force and therefore no acceleration.
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