A baseball is located at the surface of the earth.Which statements about it are correct? (There may be more than one correct choice.)
A) The earth exerts a much greater gravitational force on the ball than the ball exerts on the earth.
B) The ball exerts a greater gravitational force on the earth than the earth exerts on the ball.
C) The gravitational force on the ball due to the earth is exactly the same as the gravitational force on the earth due to the ball.
D) The gravitational force on the ball is independent of the mass of the ball.
E) The gravitational force on the ball is independent of the mass of the earth.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Newton's third law of motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This means that the gravitational force the Earth exerts on the baseball is exactly equal in magnitude to the gravitational force the baseball exerts on the Earth, making option C correct.

A Baseball Is Located at the Surface of the Earth