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Types Of Forces & Free Body Diagrams definitions

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  • Applied Force
    A direct push or pull on an object, represented by an arrow from the object's center in the direction of the force.
  • Tension
    The force transmitted through a rope or cable when pulled, depicted as an arrow from the object's center in the direction of the pull.
  • Weight Force
    The force due to gravity, always acting towards the center of the Earth, represented by a downward arrow from the object's center.
  • Normal Force
    A reaction force arising from contact between surfaces, always perpendicular to the surface.
  • Friction Force
    A force opposing the direction of motion, occurring between rough surfaces in contact.
  • Free Body Diagram
    A visual tool showing all forces acting on an object as arrows emanating from a central point.
  • Newton's Second Law
    A principle stating that acceleration is produced when a force acts on a mass (F=ma).
  • Net Force
    The overall force acting on an object, determined by vectorially adding all individual forces.
  • Acceleration
    The rate of change of velocity of an object, calculated using the net force and mass.
  • Magnitude
    The size or amount of a force, often represented by the length of an arrow in diagrams.
  • Direction
    The line or path along which something moves, lies, or points, crucial in force representation.
  • Axis
    A reference line used in diagrams to determine the direction of forces and motion.
  • Contact Force
    A force that acts at the point of contact between two objects, such as normal and friction forces.
  • Gravity
    A natural phenomenon by which all things with mass are brought toward one another, like objects toward Earth.
  • Surface
    The outermost layer of an object, where contact forces like normal and friction occur.