ForcesDiagram

Free Body Diagrams

Part of Forces & Their Effects · GCSE GCSE Physics revision

This diagram covers Free Body Diagrams within Forces & Their Effects for GCSE Physics. Revise Forces & Their Effects in Forces for GCSE Physics with 28 exam-style questions and 11 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 4 of 13 in this topic. Focus on the labels, the relationships between parts, and the explanation that turns the diagram into an exam-ready answer.

Topic position

Section 4 of 13

Practice

28 questions

Recall

11 flashcards

📊 Free Body Diagrams

Free body diagrams showing balanced forces on a book (weight equals normal force), unbalanced forces on an accelerating skydiver (weight greater than air resistance), and terminal velocity (weight equals air resistance)

Figure 1: Free body diagrams for common force scenarios

KEY POINTS: Free body diagrams show ALL forces acting on ONE object. Balanced forces (equal and opposite) = no acceleration. Unbalanced forces = acceleration in direction of larger force.

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Forces & Their Effects. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Practice Questions for Forces & Their Effects

What is a force?

  • A. A push or pull that can change the motion or shape of an object
  • B. The speed at which an object moves
  • C. The mass of an object in kilograms
  • D. The distance an object travels in one second
1 markfoundation

Explain what is meant by the resultant force on an object.

2 marksstandard

Quick Recall Flashcards

Resultant Force
Opposite directions: SUBTRACT (bigger − smaller)
Resultant Force
Same direction: ADD them

28 questions on Forces & Their Effects — practise free

Instant marking, adaptive difficulty, and 11 spaced repetition flashcards. Free until your GCSEs.

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