Krista is playing tennis at the park. When the tennis ball flies toward her, Krista hits the ball with her racket, which causes the ball to fly in the opposite direction.

Question

According to Newton's third law of motion, which of the following is true?
A.
When the racket hits the tennis ball with a force, the ball applies an equal force in the same direction as the racket's force.
B.
When the racket hits the tennis ball with a force, the ball applies a much weaker force in the opposite direction of the racket's force.
C.
When the racket hits the tennis ball with a force, the tennis ball applies an equal but opposite force to the racket.
D.
When the racket hits the tennis ball with a force, the ball does not apply any reaction force to the racket.

Answer 1

According to Newton's third law of motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, the correct answer is:

C. When the racket hits the tennis ball with a force, the tennis ball applies an equal but opposite force to the racket.