The Reaction Force to the Weight of the Box on a Trailer

Question:

According to Newton's third law, what is the reaction force to the weight of the box on the trailer?

a. The normal force of the trailer on the box
b. The gravitational pull of the box on Earth
c. The gravitational pull of the box on the trailer
d. The gravitational pull of the trailer on Earth
e. The gravitational pull of the trailer on the box
f. The normal force of the road on the trailer
g. The normal force of the trailer on the road
h. The weight of the trailer
i. The normal force of the box on the trailer

Final answer:

According to Newton's third law, the reaction force to the weight of the box on the trailer is the normal force, or support force, that the trailer provides on the box.

Answer:

The reaction force to the weight of the box on the trailer is the normal force of the trailer on the box.

According to Newton's third law of motion, when an object is at rest on another object, like the box on the trailer, the reaction force is the normal force exerted by the supporting object. In this case, the trailer provides a normal force that balances the weight of the box, preventing it from falling through the trailer.

Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this scenario, the action is the weight of the box pulling down on the trailer, and the reaction is the normal force of the trailer pushing back up on the box, keeping it in place.

The normal force is perpendicular to the surface and supports the weight of the box. This force allows objects to stay in place or move along a surface without accelerating downward. In the case of the box on the trailer, the normal force of the trailer on the box counteracts the gravitational pull of the box, creating an equilibrium.

← A fascinating scenario involving a tennis ball pitching machine What is the ideal banking angle for a gentle turn on a highway →