Question

A large man and a small boy stand facing each other on frictionless ice. They put their hands together and push against each other so that they move apart. Which of the following is true?

Answer 1

In the given scenario, the boy will move away with a higher speed.

• According to the third law of Newton, the force the man exerts on the child  and vice versa, they are the third pair of forces, and must therefore be equal in  magnitude.
• The boy has a smaller body, thus, he experiences a greater acceleration.  For the same amount of time both the individuals accelerate. But the bigger the more boy's acceleration over that interval of time results in him  moving away from a higher-speed interaction.