A swimmer in a race completes a flip turn and uses the action of her legs to push away from the wall of the pool while being supported by the water. Which statement most accurately describes the swimmer in the pool according to Newton’s Third Law?

Question

A swimmer in a race completes a flip turn and uses the action of  her legs to push away from the wall of the pool while being supported by the water. Which statement most accurately describes the swimmer in the pool according to Newton’s Third Law?
1. only the swimmer exerts a force on the wall
2. the only forces that cause the motion of the swimmer are the swimmer’s leg muscles and the water
3. the swimmer exerts a force on the wall; the wall exerts an equal and opposite force on the swimmer
4. the force between the swimmer’s legs and the wall of the pool are balanced as the swimmer leaves the wall.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The statement that most accurately describes the swimmer in the pool according to Newton’s Third Law is:

3. the swimmer exerts a force on the wall; the wall exerts an equal and opposite force on the swimmer.

According to Newton's Third Law of Motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this scenario, when the swimmer pushes off the wall with her legs, she exerts a force on the wall. Simultaneously, the wall exerts an equal and opposite force back on the swimmer, propelling her away from the wall and into the water.