Free Body Diagrams

Front

What is a Free Body Diagram (FBD)?

Back

A Free Body Diagram is a graphical representation used to visualize the forces acting on an object. It shows the object as a dot and the forces as arrows pointing in the direction they act.

Front

What does net force mean?

Back

Net force is the vector sum of all the forces acting on an object. It determines the object's acceleration according to Newton's second law.

Front

How do you calculate net force when multiple forces are acting in the same direction?

Back

To calculate net force when multiple forces act in the same direction, you add their magnitudes together.

Front

How do you calculate net force when forces are acting in opposite directions?

Back

To calculate net force when forces act in opposite directions, you subtract the smaller force from the larger force and take the direction of the larger force.

Front

What is the weight of an object?

Back

The weight of an object is the force exerted on it due to gravity, calculated as the mass of the object multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity (W = mg).

Front

What is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth?

Back

The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is approximately 9.81 m/s².

Front

What does it mean for an object to be in free fall?

Back

An object is in free fall when the only force acting on it is gravity, resulting in a downward acceleration equal to the acceleration due to gravity.

Front

How do you represent forces in a Free Body Diagram?

Back

Forces in a Free Body Diagram are represented as arrows. The length of the arrow indicates the magnitude of the force, and the direction of the arrow indicates the direction of the force.

Front

What is the significance of the direction of forces in Free Body Diagrams?

Back

The direction of forces in Free Body Diagrams is significant because it determines how the net force will affect the motion of the object.

Front

What is the formula for calculating net force?

Back

The formula for calculating net force (F_net) is F_net = F1 + F2 + ... + Fn, where F1, F2, ..., Fn are the individual forces acting on the object.