A boy holds an apple as shown.

Question

Why doesn’t gravity cause the apple to fall to the ground?

(1 point)
Responses

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 unbalanced, 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 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 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 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 balanced, 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.
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Answer 1

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.

When the force exerted by the boy's hand (acting upwards) exactly equals the gravitational force acting on the apple (acting downwards), the forces are balanced, and the apple remains at rest in his hand.