A meteor with mass 3x1016 kg strikes the Earth, which has a mass of 6x1024 kg. T
ID: 2077441 • Letter: A
Question
A meteor with mass 3x1016 kg strikes the Earth, which has a mass of 6x1024 kg. Theformer is an estimate of the mass of the impactor that struck Chicxulub, Yucatan, the most likelyprimary cause of the dinosaurs’ extinction. Consider the Earth as including all parts (land, ocean, andatmosphere) in one object. Ignore everything else in the Universe except the Earth and the meteor.
Q. Which object exerts greater force magnitudes on the other during this impact and why?Circle the best answer. Please show work
The meteor exerts a greater force magnitude on the Earth than the other way around, because
A. the meteor is going faster than the Earth before impact
B.The meteor exerts a greater force magnitude on the Earth than the other way around, becausethe meteor is more massive than the Earth.
C. The meteor exerts a greater force magnitude on the Earth than the other way around, becausethe meteor makes a giant crater in the Earth
D. The Earth exerts a greater force magnitude on the meteor than the other way around, becausethe Earth is going faster than the meteor before impact.
E. The Earth exerts a greater force magnitude on the meteor than the other way around, becausethe Earth is more massive than the meteor.
F. The Earth exerts a greater force magnitude on the meteor than the other way around, becausethe Earth only has a crater while the meteor probably got ripped apart.
G. They exert equal-magnitude forces on each other because Newton’s 3rd law says this is alwaystrue for force interaction pairs between 2 objects.
H. They exert equal-magnitude force on each other because they accelerated the same and theyhave the same mass so they must have the same net force, according to Newton’s 2nd law.
Explanation / Answer
According to Newton's third law, the forces that two objects apply on each other are equal in magnitude and opposite it direction.
Answer is G.) They exert equal-magnitude forces on each other because Newton’s 3rd law says this is always true for force interaction pairs between 2 objects.