Simple FBD problem: person, chair, earth

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves drawing force diagrams for a person sitting on a chair, the chair itself, and the Earth, while also identifying third law pairs of forces. The context is rooted in classical mechanics and Newton's laws of motion.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the forces acting on the chair and the Earth, questioning how to represent these forces in the diagrams. There is an inquiry about what forces should be drawn on the Earth specifically.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided insights into the relationship between the forces acting on the chair and the Earth, noting that the net force on the chair must be zero for it to remain stationary. Others have elaborated on the gravitational interactions between the Earth, the chair, and the person, indicating a productive exploration of the concepts involved.

Contextual Notes

There may be assumptions regarding the system's equilibrium and the necessity of considering all forces acting on each object involved. The original poster has shared an attempt at a solution, which may lack completeness in addressing the forces on the Earth.

bobthebanana
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Homework Statement


A person is sitting on a chair. Draw force diagrams for the person, the chair, and the earth.


Homework Equations


Identify the third law pairs too, por favor.


The Attempt at a Solution


attached GIF is my attempt. what forces do i draw on the earth

thanks for the help
 

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reply :zzz:
 
In order for the chair to remain on the earth, the net force on the chair (with respect to the earth) must be zero. The weight of the total system is acting downwards on the Earth and the Earth is exerting a equal but opposite force.
 
The Earth attracts the person and the chair (albeit separately!) and vice versa according to Newton's law of Universal gravitation. Since the chair presses into the Earth (due to its attraction by the Earth and the weight of the person sitting on it) it responds with a force of similar magnitude acting in the opposite direction on the chair (real forces always comes in pairs).
 

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