The sun exerts a gravitational force on the earth and the earth exerts a gravitational force on the sun. The force the earth exerts
A) is the action force.
B) is the reaction force.
C) can be considered either as the action or as the reaction force.
D) is not part of an action-reaction pair because the earth and sun are not in contact with each other.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Newton's third law of motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, the sun exerts a gravitational force on the earth (action force) and the earth exerts an equal and opposite gravitational force on the sun (reaction force). Both are part of the same action-reaction pair, and the choice C is correct because the force can be considered either as the action or as the reaction force.

The Sun Exerts a Gravitational Force on the Earth and the Earth