I.

Suppose that you are holding an electronic tablet weighing 7 N at rest on the palm of your
hand. Complete the sentences: a) A downward force of magnitude 7 N is exerted on the tablet
by the Earth.

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Explanation:
Gravitational force is responsible for the weight of
z the tablet. The weight is actually the measure of
the gravitational force which earth applies on the
tablet. Earth’s gravity exerts a downward pull on
W
⃗ the tablet. Note that the force of gravity is in the
downward (negative) direction.

b) An upward force of magnitude 7N is exerted on the tablet by the hand.

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Explanation:
The normal force is the support force exerted upon
N
⃗ an object that is in contact with another stable
object. In this case, the tablet is resting upon the
hand surface, then the hand is exerting an upward
force upon the tablet in order to support the weight
of the tablet. Note that the normal force is in the
upward (positive) direction.

c) Is the upward force in part (b) the reaction to the downward force in part (a)?

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The object remains at
rest. (Net force= O N)
Explanation:
No. The force of gravity which is a downward force,
and the normal force, an upward force are not an action
reaction pair. At first glance it may appear that these are
action-reaction pairs because the forces are equal and
opposite. However, they are not because both forces are
acting on the same object. The tablet remains at rest due
to the balanced of these two forces.

d) The reaction to the force in part (a) is a force of magnitude 7N exerted on Earth
by the tablet. Its direction is upward.
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Upward force exerted on Earth by
tablet (Reaction force) Explanation:
As explained in part (a), the earth exerts a downward
force on the tablet. Weight of the tablet is a result of the
Earth's attraction downward. Thus, weight is a
downward force. The upward force exerted by the tablet
is equal and opposite to the gravity of the earth. This is
the reason why the tablet remains at rest at the palm of
the hand.
Downward force exerted on the
tablet by Earth (Action force)

e) The reaction to the force in part (b) is a force of magnitude 7N exerted on the hand by the
tablet. Its direction is downward.

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Upward force exerted to the tablet
by the hand (Action force)
Explanation:
As explained in part (b), the normal force is acting on
the tablet by the hand. This force is equal and opposite
to the doward force acting on the hand by the tablet.

Downward force exerted on the hand

by the tablet (Reaction force)

f) The forces in parts (a) and (b) are equal and opposite because of Newton’s First law.

FREE-BODY DIAGRAM Explanation:

Newton’s First Law states that an object at rest stays at
rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the
same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon
by an unbalanced force. In this case, the electronic
tablet is at rest. From this, it suggests that the downward
force exerted by the gravity of the earth and the upward
force exerted by the hand are in equillibrium. In
The object accordance to Newton’s first law, an unbalanced force
remains at rest.
(Net force= O N)
is needed to move the electronic tablet on the hand.
g) The forces in parts (b) and (e) are equal and opposite because of Newton’s Third law.

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 Upward force Explanation:
(Action force)
Newton’s Third Law states that whenever a first object
exerts a force on a second object, the first object
experiences a force equal in magnitude but opposite in
direction to the force that it exerts. The action force, in
this case, is the normal force exerted on the tablet by the
hand. This action force is equal and opposite to the
Downward force reaction force exerted by the tablet.
(Reaction force)

Now suppose that you exert an upward force of magnitude 8 N on the tablet.

h) Does the tablet remain in equilibrium?

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Explanation:
No. This is because the downward force exerted by
gravity has a magnitude of 7N, while the upward force
has a magnitude of 15N. Forces are opposite, however
they are unequal. Unbalanced forces results to a change
in motion.
The object experiences
vertical acceleration (Net
force= 8 N)

i) Is the force exerted on the tablet by your hand equal and opposite to the force exerted on
the tablet by the Earth?

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Explanation:
No. This is for the reason that although the forces
upward and downward are opposite, still they are not
equal since they have different magnitude of force.

The object experiences

vertical acceleration (Net
force= 8 N)

j) Is the force exerted on the tablet by the earth equal and opposite to the force exerted on the
Earth by the tablet?

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Explanation:
Yes. This is an accordance to the Third Law. The force
exerted on the tablet by the Earth is equal and opposite
to the force exerted on the Earth by the tablet.
 Reaction force

Action force

k) Is the force exerted on the tablet by your hand equal and opposite to the force exerted on
your hand by the tablet?

FREE-BODY DIAGRAM Explanation:

Action force
Yes. The normal force is the support force exerted upon
an object that is in contact with another stable object. In
this case, the tablet is resting upon a surface (palm of
hand), then the surface is exerting an upward force upon
the tablet in order to support the weight of the tablet.
When the upward force exerted by the normal force
increase, this has a direct relationship to the downward
force which also increases. The upward and downward
Reaction force forces occurs in the object and are equal and opposite.

Finally, suppose that you snatch your hand away while the tablet is moving upward.

l) How many forces then act on the tablet?

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Explanation:
When the hand is snatched away, one force is acting on
the tablet. This is the downward force exerted by
W
⃗ gravity which acts on the tablet to keep it moving while
it is away from the surface (palm of hand).
m) Is the tablet in equilibrium? [2]

m) Is the tablet in equilibrium?

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Explanation:
No. The tablet is not in an equilibrium state, since it is
experiencing acceleration due to gravity, thus moving in
W
⃗ a downward (negative) direction.
g= 9.8 m/s2