A boy holds an apple in the palm of his hand upward. Why doesn't gravity cause the apple to fall to the ground?

Question

(1 point)

The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with equal magnitude to the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple. The two forces are balanced, so the apple doesn't fall.

The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with equal magnitude to the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple. The two forces are unbalanced, so the apple doesn't fall.

The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with greater magnitude than the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple. The two forces are unbalanced, so the apple doesn't fall.

The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with greater magnitude than the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple. The two forces are balanced, so the apple doesn't fall.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The correct answer is: **The force of his hand pushes up on the apple with equal magnitude to the force of gravity, which pulls down on the apple. The two forces are balanced, so the apple doesn't fall.** This explanation correctly identifies that the upward force from the boy's hand matches the downward force of gravity, resulting in a balanced situation where the apple remains stationary in his hand.