A book rests on the shelf of a bookcase. The reaction force to the force of gravity acting on the book is 1. The force of the shelf holding the book up. 2. The force exerted by the book on the earth. 3. The weight of the book. 4. The frictional force between book and shelf. 5. None of these.

Question

Lyons

Physics

3 February, 16:07

A book rests on the shelf of a bookcase. The reaction force to the force of gravity acting on the book is 1. The force of the shelf holding the book up. 2. The force exerted by the book on the earth. 3. The weight of the book. 4. The frictional force between book and shelf. 5. None of these.

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Answers (1)

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Romeo Gallagher · Answer 1

1. The force of the shelf holding the book up.

Explanation:

The free body diagram of the book is as follows:

1 - The weight of the book towards downwards

2 - The normal force that the shelf exerts on the book towards upwards.

Since the book is at rest, these two forces are equal to each other and according to Newton's Third Law the reaction force to the force of gravity is equal but opposite to the weight of the book. This reaction force is the one that holds the book up on the shelf.