Cow and Mosquito

Cow and Mosquito#

A cow swats a mosquito with its tail in mid-air.

Part 1#

Compare the size of the forces that the tail and the mosquito feel from each other.

Answer Section#

  • The force the tail feels is greater than the force that the mosquito feels.

  • The forces felt by the mosquito and the tail are equivalent.

  • The force the mosquito feels is greater than the force that the tail feels.

Part 2#

Compare the size of accelerations that the collision between the cow’s tail and the mosquito produces for both the tail and the mosquito.

Answer Section#

  • The force the tail feels is greater than the force that the mosquito feels.

  • The forces felt by the mosquito and the tail are equivalent.

  • The force the mosquito feels is greater than the force that the tail feels.

Attribution#

Problem is from the OpenStax University Physics Volume 2 textbook, licensed under the CC-BY 4.0 license.
Image representing the Creative Commons 4.0 BY license.