Mr. Jenkins accidentally backed his car into a stationary light pole. The collision caused damage to his car's bumper, trunk, and tail light. If the light pole was not moving, how did Mr. Jenkins' car get damaged?

Question

A.
The car exerted ten times as much force on the light pole as the light pole exerted on the car.
B.
The light pole exerted ten times as much force on the car as the car exerted on the light pole.
C.
The damage to Mr. Jenkins' car was caused by an outside force that was not exerted by the pole.
D.
The light pole exerted the same force on the car that the car exerted on the light pole.

Answer 1

The correct answer is D. The light pole exerted the same force on the car that the car exerted on the light pole.

This is based on Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When Mr. Jenkins' car collided with the stationary light pole, both the car and the pole exerted equal forces on each other. However, since the light pole is stationary and significantly more massive than the car, the pole did not move, and the car sustained damage from this equal force.