Free Body Diagrams

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Force Noun

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[forss]

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Force

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Any push or pull on an object that can cause it to accelerate, possessing both magnitude and direction.

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Example: This image shows forces from people pulling a box, which are then represented as arrows (vectors) on a simplified free body diagram.

Front

Vector Noun

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[vek-ter]

Back

Vector

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A physical quantity that is defined by possessing both a magnitude, or size, and a specific direction.

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Example: The arrow represents a vector, showing the direction and magnitude (size) of the push force being applied to the object.

Front

Inertia Noun

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[in-ur-shuh]

Back

Inertia

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The natural tendency of an object to resist any change in its state of motion, whether at rest or moving.

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Example: When the car suddenly stops, the box on top continues to move forward because of inertia—its resistance to a change in motion.

Front

Mass Noun

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[mass]

Back

Mass

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The quantitative measure of an object's inertia, representing the amount of matter it contains, distinct from its weight.

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Example: This image shows that mass (m) is an intrinsic property of an object (the apple), which is used to calculate its weight (W).

Front

Velocity Noun

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[vuh-los-i-tee]

Back

Velocity

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The rate of change of an object's position with respect to time, specifying both its speed and direction.

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Example: A car travels a distance of 8 km between home and school in 15 minutes, which can be used to calculate its average speed or velocity.

Front

Acceleration Noun

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[ak-sel-uh-rey-shuhn]

Back

Acceleration

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The rate at which an object's velocity changes over time, occurring if its speed, direction, or both change.

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Example: This image shows that acceleration is a change in velocity, which can mean speeding up, slowing down, or changing the direction of motion.

Front

Net Force Noun

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[net forss]

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Net Force

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The vector sum of all individual forces acting on an object, which determines the object's resulting acceleration.

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Example: This diagram shows two opposing forces on an object: a 600N downward force (gravity) and a 200N upward force (air resistance), allowing you to calculate the resulting net force.

Front

Equilibrium Noun

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[ee-kwi-lib-ree-uhm]

Back

Equilibrium

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A state in which the net force acting on an object is zero, resulting in no change in its motion.

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Example: Two people pulling a rope with equal and opposite force creates balanced forces, resulting in a state of equilibrium where the rope does not move.

Front

Balanced Forces Noun

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[bal-uhnsd for-sez]

Back

Balanced Forces

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A set of forces acting on an object that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, canceling each other.

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Example: This free body diagram shows a ball at rest, where the downward gravitational force is perfectly balanced by the upward normal force from the surface.

Front

Weight Noun

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[weyt]

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Weight

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The gravitational force exerted on an object's mass by a celestial body, such as the Earth.

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Example: This infographic compares metric (milligrams, grams, kilograms) and imperial (ounces, pounds, tons) units of weight using common objects for scale.