Concept explainers
A student wrote: “The only reason an apple falls downward to meet the earth instead of the earth rising upward to meet the apple is that the earth is much more massive and so exerts a much greater pull.” Please comment.
Validation of the given statement
Explanation of Solution
Newton’s Third Law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
The gravitational force exerted on an apple by the earth will be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction as the gravitational force exerted on the earth by the apple.
As
Conclusion: The reason that apple falls downward to meet the earth instead of the earth rising upward to meet the apple is that the earth is much more massive and so exerts a much greater pull.
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