A horse pulls a cart with force $\overrightarrow { \mathbf { F } }$ . As a result of this force the cart accelerates with constant acceleration. The magnitude of the force that the cart exerts on the horse
A) is zero newtons.
B) equal to the magnitude of $\overrightarrow { \mathbf { F } }$ .
C) less than the magnitude of $\overrightarrow { \mathbf { F } }$ .
D) greater than the magnitude of $\overrightarrow { \mathbf { F } }$ .
E) cannot be determined without knowing the mass of the horse.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Newton's third law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, the cart will exert a force on the horse equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the force with which the horse pulls the cart. Therefore, the magnitude of the force that the cart exerts on the horse is equal to the magnitude of the force with which the horse pulls the cart, which is $\overrightarrow { \mathbf { F } }$.

A Horse Pulls a Cart with Force F→\overrightarrow { \mathbf { F } }F

A Horse Pulls a Cart with Force $\overrightarrow { \mathbf { F } }$