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## Website Detail Page

written by Tom Henderson
Free-body diagrams are a powerful tool to analyze forces exerted by interacting objects. This interactive activity, part of The Physics Classroom tutorial collection, provides self-directed practice in constructing free-body diagrams. Twelve descriptions of physical situations are presented; the goal is to determine the type and relative magnitude of the forces acting upon the described object. Additional help is provided with one click on "Web Help".

See Related Materials for a link to the four-part tutorial "Force and Its Representation", also written by author Tom Henderson.

Please note that this resource requires Shockwave.
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Classical Mechanics
- Applications of Newton's Laws
= Friction
- Newton's Second Law
= Force, Acceleration
= Interacting Objects
Education Foundations
- Assessment
= Self Assessment
- High School
- Middle School
- Instructional Material
= Problem/Problem Set
- Audio/Visual
= Movie/Animation
Appropriate Courses Categories Ratings
- Physical Science
- Physics First
- Conceptual Physics
- Algebra-based Physics
- AP Physics
- Activity
- Assessment
- New teachers
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Intended User:
Learner
Formats:
application/shockwave
text/html
Access Rights:
Free access
Restriction:
Keywords:
applied force, contact force, force diagrams, free-body diagrams, frictional force, gravitational force, normal force
Record Cloner:
Metadata instance created September 27, 2011 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:
September 27, 2011 by Caroline Hall

### AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

#### 4. The Physical Setting

4F. Motion
• 6-8: 4F/M3a. An unbalanced force acting on an object changes its speed or direction of motion, or both.
• 9-12: 4F/H1. The change in motion (direction or speed) of an object is proportional to the applied force and inversely proportional to the mass.
• 9-12: 4F/H4. Whenever one thing exerts a force on another, an equal amount of force is exerted back on it.
• 9-12: 4F/H7. In most familiar situations, frictional forces complicate the description of motion, although the basic principles still apply.
• 9-12: 4F/H8. Any object maintains a constant speed and direction of motion unless an unbalanced outside force acts on it.

#### 9. The Mathematical World

9B. Symbolic Relationships
• 9-12: 9B/H1b. Sometimes the rate of change of something depends on how much there is of something else (as the rate of change of speed is proportional to the amount of force acting).
• 9-12: 9B/H4. Tables, graphs, and symbols are alternative ways of representing data and relationships that can be translated from one to another.

This resource is part of a Physics Front Topical Unit.

Topic: Dynamics: Forces and Motion
Unit Title: Newton's Second Law & Net Force

Free-body diagrams are a powerful tool to analyze forces exerted by interacting objects. This Shockwave-based activity gives your students self-directed practice in constructing FBD's. It's part of The Physics Classroom tutorial collection.

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AIP Format
T. Henderson, (2001), WWW Document, (http://www.physicsclassroom.com/shwave/fbd.cfm).
AJP/PRST-PER
T. Henderson, Shockwave Physics Studios: Free Body Diagrams, (2001), <http://www.physicsclassroom.com/shwave/fbd.cfm>.
APA Format
Henderson, T. (2001). Shockwave Physics Studios: Free Body Diagrams. Retrieved August 21, 2017, from http://www.physicsclassroom.com/shwave/fbd.cfm
Chicago Format
Henderson, Tom. Shockwave Physics Studios: Free Body Diagrams. 2001. http://www.physicsclassroom.com/shwave/fbd.cfm (accessed 21 August 2017).
MLA Format
Henderson, Tom. Shockwave Physics Studios: Free Body Diagrams. 2001. 21 Aug. 2017 <http://www.physicsclassroom.com/shwave/fbd.cfm>.
BibTeX Export Format
@misc{ Author = "Tom Henderson", Title = {Shockwave Physics Studios: Free Body Diagrams}, Volume = {2017}, Number = {21 August 2017}, Year = {2001} }
Refer Export Format

%A Tom Henderson
%T Shockwave Physics Studios: Free Body Diagrams
%D 2001
%U http://www.physicsclassroom.com/shwave/fbd.cfm
%O application/shockwave

EndNote Export Format

%0 Electronic Source
%A Henderson, Tom
%D 2001
%T Shockwave Physics Studios: Free Body Diagrams
%V 2017
%N 21 August 2017
%9 application/shockwave
%U http://www.physicsclassroom.com/shwave/fbd.cfm

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The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual.

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### Shockwave Physics Studios: Free Body Diagrams:

Accompanies Physics Classroom: Force and Its Representation

A link to the tutorial by the same author on the topic of force representations.

relation by Caroline Hall

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