Question

A body builder Arnold is playing tug-of-war with Elmo. Arnold wins. Which of these correctly explains why? [hint: what would happen if Arnold had to stand on ice, while Elmo stood on dry ground?]
A. The force that Arnold exerts on Elmo is greater than the force that Elmo exerts on Arnold.
B. The force that Arnold exerts on Elmo is the same as the force that Elmo exerts on Arnold, but Arnold exerts a greater force on the Earth than Elmo does.
C. The force that Arnold exerts on Elmo is the same as the force that Elmo exerts on Arnold, but Elmo accelerates more because he has less mass than Arnold.

Eplain why you chose youur answer using Newtons laws, if applicable.

Answer 1

Answer) option A) The force that Arnold exerts on Elmo is greater than the force that Elmo exerts on Arnold.

Reason : by the Newtons second law which states that

The acceleration of an object is dependent on the net force acting upon the object

The condition for Arnold to win is that pulling force of Arnold is more than pulling force of Elmo which means net force is towards Arnold

The greater pulling force is acting on the Elmo which means that the Elmo accelerates towards the Arnold and loses the tug of war contest

Option c) is not correct because , acceleration is not dependent on mass, but depends on the net force acting