Yes, according to Newton's third law of motion, when an object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first object. In the case of an object falling freely under the influence of gravity, the object exerts a force on the Earth, and the Earth exerts an equal and opposite force on the object.
However, due to the vast difference in mass between the Earth and the object, the effect of the object's force on the Earth is negligible compared to the Earth's force on the object. As a result, the Earth does not noticeably move when the object falls freely under gravity.
When an object falls freely under the influence of gravity there is a net force Mg exerted on it by the earth. Yet by Newton's third law the object exerts an equal and opposite force on the earth. Does the earth move??
1 answer