What are free body diagrams?

Free body diagrams are diagrams used to represent the forces acting on an object.

Free body diagrams are a visual representation of the forces acting on an object. They are used to analyse the motion of an object and to determine the net force acting on it. The diagram shows the object as a point and all the forces acting on it as arrows. The direction of the arrow represents the direction of the force and the length of the arrow represents the magnitude of the force.

To draw a free body diagram, the object must first be identified and isolated from its surroundings. Then, all the forces acting on the object must be identified and drawn as arrows on the diagram. The forces can be gravitational, normal, frictional, tensional, or any other type of force.

Once the free body diagram is drawn, the net force acting on the object can be determined. This is done by adding up all the forces acting on the object and finding the resultant force. If the resultant force is zero, the object is in equilibrium and is not accelerating. If the resultant force is non-zero, the object is accelerating in the direction of the resultant force.

Free body diagrams are an important tool in physics and engineering. They allow us to analyse the motion of objects and to design structures that can withstand the forces acting on them.