Types Of Forces & Free Body Diagrams Practice Problems

A 1000-kg block is held in place on an inclined wedge by a light cable on a frictionless wedge. The wedge is inclined at an angle of 37° above the horizontal and an angle of 30° is made by the cable above the surface of the wedge. Sketch a labeled free-body diagram of the box.

While going on a rescue operation, a soldier is hanging from a long rope to a helicopter, that is traveling eastward horizontally to lift people to rescue from a recent flood-affected area. If the helicopter is speeding up uniformly, then draw a clearly labeled free-body diagram for the soldier.

In a courier service office, two carton boxes, one with mass m_P and the other with mass m_Q, were put beside each other on a horizontal surface with zero friction coefficient. A courier boy applies a force R on box Q, so both boxes move in the same direction. Draw Free-body diagrams that are clearly labeled for both the boxes P and Q separately, indicating any pair of forces that are third-law action-reaction pairs.

A 32 kg wooden block is resting on a bench in the laboratory. A student pulls the block with an increasing horizontal force. The block moves when the pull is greater than 246 N. The student notes that the block moves with a constant velocity of 2.1 m/s when the pull is reduced to 166 N. The block-bench system is taken to Mars by an astronaut where gravitational acceleration is 3.72 m/s². Determine how much pull will cause the block to move and its acceleration when the pull is 224 N, a force that accelerates the block at 1.8 m/s² in the laboratory.

A baseball player uses a bat to hit a ball (tossed in the air) horizontally. Identify objects in the system and provide a free-body diagram for each object identified. Use appropriate labels for action/reaction pair forces.

Two metallic boxes are connected to a massless and frictionless pulley by a massless cable, as shown in the diagram below. Box 1 is sliding down the incline (the incline plane surfaces are not frictionless). Some of the objects interacting are the pulley and the cable. Nonetheless, you must decide whether they are part of the system. Present an interaction diagram of the system. 

The figure below shows two wooden blocks connected through a massless and frictionless pulley using a massless chain. Block 2 is sliding down the incline whose surface is not frictionless. Some of the interacting objects are the pulley and the chain, but it is upon you to decide which to include in the system. Present a free-body diagram for all the objects in the system using dotted lines to connect objects that form action-reaction pairs. Consider the positive x-axis in an upward direction along the inclined planes.

A lady with a container on her head rises up at a uniform speed from a crouching posture. Specify the objects that make up the system.

Objects remain in their state of motion unless acted on by an external force, a phenomenon called inertia. To demonstrate the effects of inertia using rapid deceleration, a passenger lowers a block onto a frictionless surface at the back of a truck moving at constant velocity (the block has the same velocity as the truck). There is nothing securing the block to the surface. i) Sketch a free body of the block on the surface. ii) State the direction of the external force on the block (if any).

Provide i) a motion diagram ii) a force identification diagram iii) a free-body diagram for a spaceship from outer space accelerating vertically downward in the Earth's atmosphere.

A bucket filled with water is pulled upward using a massless rope. Draw a suitable interaction diagram when the velocity of the bucket is increasing in the upward direction.

A chair is suspended from the top of a stationary merry-go-round using a cable. List all forces acting on the chair.

A mechanic lifts a pneumatic tire and releases it in the air. Explain why the tire bounces upward by answering these two questions. i) provide a free-body diagram of the tire when in contact with the ground. ii) specify the direction of the net force acting on the tire (if any).

A wooden block is tossed so that it slides to the right on a bench. List all forces acting on the wooden block. Assume negligible air resistance.

A car is accelerating on a flat surface. Air drag is a significant force. List all forces acting on the car. (Assume wheels roll without slipping).

A block of wood is sliding across the floor. Use this scenario to identify forces acting on the block of wood and draw a free-body diagram.

Draw the following diagrams i) motion diagram ii) force identification diagram iii) free-body diagram for a stone thrown (already in the air) vertically upward that experiences significant air resistance.

Make the following drawings i) motion diagram ii) force identification diagram iii) free-body diagram for a spaceship launched vertically upward that experiences significant air resistance.

Use the scenario described in this problem to identify the forces applied to the object and create a free-body diagram. A block of wood drifts on a frictionless wet surface.

The figure shown below is in equilibrium. Two of the forces applied on a block are shown. Draw the third force acting on the block and label it as F_c. Ensure your diagram shows all three forces.

The diagram below shows a ball in equilibrium. Two forces applied on the ball are shown. Show the third force applied on the ball and label it F_c. Be sure your drawing shows the three forces.

Consider a force $\overrightarrow{F_1}$ = 500 N acting in a northeasterly direction. Determine the direction of another force $\overrightarrow{F_2}$ = 500 N such that the resultant of the two forces will point in southeast direction.

A cart is pushed horizontally on a smooth floor. Draw its free-body diagram.

Create a free-body diagram for the instance when a bullet, having been fired horizontally, exits the gun. Neglect air resistance.

Consider a uniform street lamp that is 6.0 m long and has a mass of 50 kg as shown. It is mounted on a hinge, allowing it to form an angle of 30° with the vertical for optimal lighting. The street lamp is kept in equilibrium by a steel cable that connects to the top of the lamp, forming an angle of 45° with the vertical to withstand wind forces. A decorative banner with a weight of 600 N is hung from the lamp at a distance $s$ from the hinge for a local festival resulting in 800 N tension in the supporting cable. Draw a free-body diagram for the street lamp.

A hockey puck of mass M slides on a flat table lubricated with petroleum in the horizontal direction, exerting a drag force proportional to the cubic root of velocity, i.e. F_Dr = -cv^1/3 on the puck. If at t = 0, we know that v = v', find x and v as functions of time.