Ancilla (mass 57 kg) goes skating with Wayne Gretzky (mass 83 kg). At one point when both are standing motionless on the ice, she gives Wayne a push of 200 N [S]

(a) What force does Wayne exert on Ancilla?

1 answer

According to Newton's third law of motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that if Ancilla pushes Wayne with a force of 200 N [S], Wayne will exert an equal and opposite force on Ancilla.

Thus, the force that Wayne exerts on Ancilla will be:

\[ 200 , \text{N} , [N] \]

The force Wayne exerts on Ancilla is directed to the north, the opposite direction to the push she gave him. So, we can say:

Wayne exerts a force of 200 N [N] on Ancilla.