Question

A horse tied to a cart is standing on the road. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Horse is applying force on the cart
B. Cart is applying force on the horse
C. Force applied by the horse is balanced by the force applied by the cart
D. No forward force is being applied by the horse or the cart

Answer 1

Hint: Here we have to apply the concept of net force to get the answer.
The vector sum of forces acting on a particle or body is the net force. The net force is a single force which substitutes the influence of the original forces on the motion of the particle.

Complete step by step answer:
A horse can pull a cart due to its strong hooves. The horse travels because, with its hooves, the energy he exerts is stronger than the energy of the cart dragging him out. It is pushed forward by the ride, and from the ground there is a backward force- friction. It will speed up if the pull of the horses exceeds the friction of the wagon.
The horse must apply force on the cart if the horse wants to drag the cart. By third law of Newton, the cart would then exert on the horse an equal and opposite force. The second law of Newton teaches us that acceleration is proportional to the net force divided by the system’s mass.
The horse attached to the cart is stationary on the lane, meaning that zero is the net force acting independently on the horse as well as the cart. When it is stationary, it means that the horse perpendicular applies force to the road and the road then applies the same magnitude of force in the opposite direction, making the total force on the horse zero and there is also no forward force on the horse.

So, the correct answer is “Option D”.

Note:
Since according to Newton’s third law the action and reaction force got cancelled. So, the net force applied by the horse or cart is zero.
The horse attached to the cart is stationary on the lane, meaning that zero is the net force acting independently on the horse as well as the cart.