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GCSE Combined Science · key term
A diagram showing a chosen object or system on its own, with labelled arrows representing the external forces acting on it.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Specification 6.5.1.4 · Paper 6
Revise: Resultant ForcesA free body diagram represents the chosen object as a simple shape or a dot. Labelled arrows show the forces acting on it: the arrowhead gives the direction, and the arrow length represents the magnitude. All force arrows should use the same scale if the diagram is drawn to scale.
Paper 5, Paper 6
A diagram showing all the external forces acting on one chosen object or system.
Revise: Forces and vector diagramsA free body diagram separates one chosen object from its surroundings so that you can examine all the external forces acting on it. It does not mean that the object has no external forces.
In a free body diagram, include only forces acting on the chosen object or system, not forces it exerts on its surroundings.
A free body diagram shows only forces acting on the chosen object, not forces that it exerts on other objects.
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