Free Body Diagram Examples and Tips for a Simple Assignment | Homework Help

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around creating a Free Body Diagram (FBD) as part of a physics assignment. The original poster expresses confusion regarding the requirements and seeks examples and guidance on how to construct an FBD.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the fundamental components of an FBD, such as identifying the object of interest and the forces acting upon it. There are requests for real-life scenarios suitable for FBDs, with suggestions including a person on a frictionless slide and someone in an elevator. Questions about the interchangeability of weight and gravity are also raised.

Discussion Status

The conversation is ongoing, with participants sharing examples and clarifying concepts related to FBDs. Some guidance has been provided regarding the structure of an FBD, but there is no explicit consensus on specific examples or methods.

Contextual Notes

The original poster has not received specific instructions from their teacher, which contributes to their uncertainty about the assignment. There are also discussions about the definitions of weight and gravity, indicating a need for clarification on these terms.

crcowboyfan
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Homework Statement



Hey guys. My Physics teacher gave us an assignment to make a Free Body Diagram poster. He didn't give us any specifics, just told us that we can do whatever we want. I'm a little confused as to what I should do and how to make one of these. Could you give me an example of a pretty simple FBD and how to make it?

Thanks!

Homework Equations



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The Attempt at a Solution



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In a free body diagram, you want to specify one object and separate it from everything else, hence the name "free-body." It would be good to indicate any forces acting on that body. Typical forces are the normal force and the weight force. It's also good to specify a coordinate system in your diagram. For a visual you can look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_body_diagram
 
https://www.physicsforums.com/blog/2007/09/27/my-first-sketchcast-free-body-diagram/
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ok, but could you give me a real life situation that would be appropriate to make a FBD for?

Thanks for the help
 
crcowboyfan said:
Ok, but could you give me a real life situation that would be appropriate to make a FBD for?

Thanks for the help

Suppose you sit on a frictionless slide in a playground.
Determine the forces applied on you [which can be used to predict your motion].

You might want to consider your preference of a steep slide vs. a not-so-steep slide.
How would you analyze these choices?
 
Last edited:
visit my blog for some examples

http://www.mathlinks.ro/weblog.php?w=924

a person in an elevator would be interesting, try that :-]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the examples!
 
Are weight and gravity used interchangeably?
 
  • #10
Ok so how does this look?
 
Last edited:
  • #11
crcowboyfan said:
Ok so how does this look?http://picture.vzw.com/mi/216060688_719998182_0.jpeg
how does what look?

lol
 
  • #12
rocophysics said:
how does what look?

lol

Oh, it was working before. Let me rehost it.

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/7315/2160606887199981820qx5.th.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #13
can't see it ... way too small
 

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