Resultant forces

• What are free body diagrams used for?

  To find the resultant force on an object
• What do free body diagrams represent?

  All forces acting on a particular object
• How are forces represented in free body diagrams?

  Using force arrows
• What does the length of the arrows in a free body diagram indicate?

  The magnitude of the force
• Why do forces in different directions affect the resultant force?

  Some forces cancel each other out
• How do you calculate the resultant force in vertical components?

  By subtracting opposing forces
• What is the resultant force when there are 80,000 newtons up and 80,000 newtons down?

  Zero newtons overall
• What is the resultant force when there are 120,000 newtons to the right and 90,000 newtons to the left?

  30,000 newtons to the right
• What happens to the resultant force if air resistance is 120,000 newtons?

  The horizontal resultant force becomes zero
• What does it mean if both horizontal and vertical components are balanced?

  The object is in equilibrium
• What are the steps to find the resultant force using free body diagrams?

  1. Identify all forces acting on the object
  2. Represent forces with arrows
  3. Determine magnitudes and directions
  4. Calculate resultant force in horizontal and vertical components
  5. Analyze if the object is in equilibrium
• What are the key components of a free body diagram for a plane?

  • Thrust (forward)
  • Drag (backward)
  • Weight (downward)
  • Lift (upward)