Question

A man and a kid accidentally hit each other. What is true about the forces experienced by them?

(a) They are equal in magnitude

(b) They are different in magnitude

(c) They are same in direction

(d) They are at an angle of 1.57 rad

The question was posed to me during a job interview.

Enquiry is from Newton’s Third Law of Motion topic in section Laws of Motion of Physics – Class 11

Answer 1

The correct option is (b) They are different in magnitude

The explanation: From the third law of motion, we know that the cause force and the reaction forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. Hence, from this knowledge, we can say that the man and the kid will experience forces in opposite directions and in equal magnitude.