When you drop a 0.27-kg apple, Earth exerts a force on it that accelerates it at 9.8 m/s2 toward Earth's surface. According to Newton's third law, the apple must exert an equal and opposite reaction force on Earth. If the mass of Earth is 5.98 1024 kg, what would be the magnitude of Earth's acceleration if this equal and opposite reaction force were the only force acting on the Earth?

Question

When you drop a 0.27-kg apple, Earth exerts a force on it that accelerates it at 9.8 m/s2 toward Earth's surface. According to Newton's third law, the apple must exert an equal and opposite reaction force on Earth. If the mass of Earth is 5.98  1024 kg, what would be the magnitude of Earth's acceleration if this equal and opposite reaction force were the only force acting on the Earth?