An octopus propels itself through the water by ejecting water through a funnel in its body. How does this demonstrate Newton’s third law?

Question

• When the octopus ejects the water out, the water acts with an equal force on the octopus in the opposite direction.
• When the octopus ejects the water out, the water acts with an equal force on the surrounding water in the same direction.
• When the octopus ejects the water out, the water acts with an equal force on the surrounding water in the opposite direction.
• When the octopus ejects the water out, the water acts with an equal force on the octopus in the same direction.

Answer 1

The correct answer is: When the octopus ejects the water out, the water acts with an equal force on the octopus in the opposite direction. This demonstrates Newton's third law, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, the action is the octopus ejecting water through its funnel, and the reaction is the water pushing back on the octopus with an equal force in the opposite direction.