Question

A person is on a raft. The person exerts a force on the raft, causing the raft to move. The person also moves in the opposite direction. Which statement BEST explains why the person and the raft moved in opposite directions? A). second law of motion B). action and reaction forces C). person wanted the raft to move D). force is the product of mass and acceleration

Answer 1

Choices 'A', 'C', and 'D' are off-base.

Here are some 'reasons' to put into the mish-mash:

-- third law of motion
-- action and reaction forces
-- conservation of momentum

Answer 2

Answer:

B). action and reaction forces

Explanation:

This is a consequence of Newton's third law, which states:

"When an object A exerts a force on an object B, then object B exerts an equal and opposite force on object A. These two forces are called action and reaction"

In this case, we can think the force exerted by the person on the raft as the action, and the force exerted by the raft on the person as the reaction. According to Newton's third law, these two forces are exerted into opposite directions: therefore, the person will be pushed in one direction, while the raft will be pushed in the opposite direction. This is why the two objects move into opposite directions.