An astronaut outside a spaceship hammers a loose rivet back in place. What happens to the astronaut as he swings the hammer?
A) Nothing. The spaceship takes up the momentum of the hammer.
B) He moves away from the spaceship.
C) He moves towards the spaceship.
D) He moves towards the spaceship as he pulls the hammer back and moves away from it as he swings the hammer forward.
E) He moves away from the spaceship as he pulls the hammer back and moves toward it as he swings the hammer forward.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is due to Newton's third law of motion. When the astronaut pulls the hammer back, they exert a force on the hammer towards themselves, causing a reaction force that moves them towards the spaceship. When they swing the hammer forward, the opposite occurs: they exert a force on the hammer away from themselves, and the reaction force moves them away from the spaceship.

An Astronaut Outside a Spaceship Hammers a Loose Rivet Back