Consider what happens when you jump up in the air. Which of the following is the
most accurate statement?
You are able to spring up because the earth exerts a force upward on you which is
stronger than the downward force you exert on the earth.
When you push down on the earth with a force greater than your weight, the earth will
push back with the same magnitude force and thus propel you into the air.
Since the ground is stationary, it cannot exert the upward force necessary to propel you
into the air. Instead it is the internal forces of your muscles acting on your body itself
which propels the body into the air.
It is the upward force exerted by the ground that pushes you up, but this force can never
exceed your weight.
When you push down on the earth, you make it moving away from you so that it appears
that you are in the air.