Question

A boy shoots a rifle and the force of the shot results in recoil. The magnitude of force on the rifle is _____ to the bullet, and the magnitude of acceleration of the rifle is ______ that of the bullet.

A.10 N
B. 5 N
C.equal
D. Not equal
E. Larger
F. Smaller than

Answer 1

Answer:

this question is testing your understanding of Newton's third law (equal and opposite forces). The forces between the cat and table depend solely on the mass of the cat; therefore, the mass of the table is irrelevant.

The force that the cat applies to the table is simply its weight. According to Newton's third law, the table also applies a force to the cat of the same magnitude. The force on the cat from the table is:

Answer 2

A boy shoots a rifle and the force of the shot results in recoil. The magnitude of force on the rifle is equal to the bullet, and the magnitude of acceleration of the rifle is smaller than that of the bullet.

• From Newton's third law of motion, we know that - for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
• Now, whenever a bullet is fired from a gun, the gun exerts certain amount of force on the bullet (in forward direction). According to the previously mentioned Newton's third law of motion, the bullet will also exert an equal force on the bullet (in backward direction). So, the force exerted on the bullet and the force exerted on the gun will be equal.
• Acceleration is dependent on force and mass (a = F/m). As, the applied force on bullet and gun are equal, the magnitude of their aceleration will be dependent only on their masses. Now, acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass. Which implies, one who has the greater mass will possess the less acceleration. Here, gun has greater mass than bullet. So, the acceleration of the gun will be less than the acceleration of the bullet.