Question

A man leans against an unmoving wall to his left, applying 130 N of force. Which statement is the most accurate about the situation? The wall pushes back with 130 N of force. A friction force exists on the floor that pushes to the right. Since the wall does not move, it cannot apply a force on the man. The man cannot apply a force on the wall greater than his own weight.

Answer 1

According to Newton's Third Law of motion - To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

So as the man apply 130N of for on the wall then the wall must also exert 130N force back to the man as a reaction( as per Newton Third Law). Hence the wall pushes back the man with 130N force.

In this case neither the man nor the wall will move as the forces are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. Hence a condition of equilibrium is existing in such situation.