A small puck on a frictionless horizontal table is pushed at the same instant by a…
PHYSICS · Single correct · CBSE · Physics · Force and Laws of Motion · Force and Laws of Motion
Problem
A small puck on a frictionless horizontal table is pushed at the same instant by a 5N force directed due east and a 5N force directed due north. A student claims the puck will remain at rest because the two forces have equal magnitude. Which of the following statements most accurately evaluates the student’s claim?
(a) The claim is invalid because the two forces combine to give a single force of 10N directed toward the northeast.
(b) The claim is invalid because equal–magnitude forces cancel only when they act in opposite directions, not when they are perpendicular.
(c) The claim is valid because, according to Newton’s third law, the table pushes back with forces that cancel the applied pushes.
(d) The claim is invalid because the puck will first accelerate north and then east in a zig-zag path, so the forces do not cancel.