Question

Which one of the following descriptions violates Newton’s first law of motion?

a) A glass of water is sitting on a table in the dining car of a train. The train brakes as it nears the station, and the glass slides forward.

b) A small suitcase is at the front of the overhead luggage compartment on an airplane. When the airplane begins its takeoff, the suitcase slides to the rear of the compartment.

c)A rabbit’s foot is hanging on a chain from the rearview mirror of a car. As the car accelerates, the rabbit’s foot swings toward the windshield.

d) A child is sitting in the back seat of a car and is not wearing a seat belt. The car is traveling forward, and the driver suddenly applies the brakes. The child flies forward against the rear side of the front seat.

Answer 1

The corret option is :

c) A rabbit’s foot is hanging on a chain from the rearview mirror of a car. As the car accelerates, the rabbit’s foot swings toward the windshield.

as the 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 the third case, the foot is tied to the rear view mirror. Now if the car suddenly moves forward, the leg which is attached to the car moves forward along with the car. But the rest of the body which was at rest initially continues to be in its state of rest due to inertia. So the rabbit should swing backwards and not towards the windshield!