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A man is standing on a boat in still water. If he walks towards the shore, the boat will
  • a)
    move towards the shore
  • b)
    move away from the shore
  • c)
    remain stationary
  • d)
    sink
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
A man is standing on a boat in still water. If he walks towards the sh...
Aman is standing on a boat in still water. If he walks towards the shore, the boat will move away from the shore. This is according to Newton’s third law of motion — to every action there is equal and opposite reaction.
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Most Upvoted Answer
A man is standing on a boat in still water. If he walks towards the sh...
**Explanation:**

When the man walks towards the shore, the boat will move away from the shore. This may seem counterintuitive at first, but it can be explained by the principles of Newton's third law of motion.

**Newton's Third Law of Motion:**
According to Newton's third law of motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that when a force is exerted on an object, it exerts an equal and opposite force back on the object exerting the initial force.

**The Man's Action:**
When the man walks towards the shore, he exerts a force on the boat. This force is in the direction of the shore and is exerted by the man's feet pushing against the boat.

**The Boat's Reaction:**
According to Newton's third law, the boat will exert an equal and opposite force on the man. This force is in the opposite direction of the shore and is exerted by the boat pushing against the man's feet.

**Equal and Opposite Forces:**
The force exerted by the man on the boat and the force exerted by the boat on the man are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. This means that the boat and the man experience forces of the same strength but in opposite directions.

**Boat's Movement:**
Since the forces on the man and the boat are equal and opposite, the net force on the system (man + boat) is zero. However, the boat is much larger and heavier than the man, so it experiences a smaller acceleration. As a result, the boat moves away from the shore, while the man moves towards the shore.

**Conclusion:**
In conclusion, when the man walks towards the shore, the boat will move away from the shore. This is because of the equal and opposite forces exerted by the man and the boat, as explained by Newton's third law of motion.
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A man is standing on a boat in still water. If he walks towards the shore, the boat willa)move towards the shoreb)move away from the shorec)remain stationaryd)sinkCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
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