Question

Which of these events is caused by contact forces? A. Jupiter's moons staying in orbit B. high tides occurring on the East Coast C. picking up straight pins with a magnet D. earthquakes along the San Andreas fault in California

Answer 1

-_-D. earthquakes along the San Andreas fault in California

Answer 2

Correct option: D. Earthquakes along the San Andreas fault in California.

The earthquakes occur when the two plates collide with each other. Hence, there is contact between the two plates. So, the contact forces are responsible for the earthquakes.

The force responsible for Jupiter's moons to stay in orbit or the high tides occurring on the east coast is the gravitational force, which is not a contact force as there is no contact between Jupiter and its moon or the earth and the moon which is responsible for the high tides.

Moreover, the magnetic force is a non contact force as it attracts the pins from a distance without any contact between them.