Consider the following debate between two students about their answer to the previous question.

Student Y: I thought that whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object also exerts a force that is equal in strength, but in the other direction. So even though Earth is bigger, and more massive than the Moon, they still pull on each other with a gravitational force of the same strength just in different directions.

Student Z: I disagree. I said that Earth exerts the stronger force because it is way more massive than the Moon. Because its mass is bigger the gravitational force Earth exerts has to be bigger too. I think you are confusing Newton’s 3rd law with the law of gravity. Do you agree or disagree with either or both of the students? Why?