Interpret force diagrams and sums of forces - Middle School Physical Science

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Question

Screen shot 2020 05 22 at 3.02.58 pm

Describe the motion of this cylinder.

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Answer

The answer is "It is moving to the right with a force of 500 Newtons," because the two 250 N forces are going the same direction and thus added together.

When we make diagrams or drawings of forces, we use vectors. A VECTOR is an arrow that represents the MAGNITUDE and the DIRECTION of a force. The magnitude is how strong the force is, usually in Newtons, and the direction can be expressed in north, south, east, west, left, right, up, or down.

In order to evaluate the sum of forces in a free body diagram you have to add the vectors of forces both in the horizontal and in the vertical direction. The sum of forces in all directions is called the “net force.” When forces are going in opposite directions, they should be subtracted or the value of one of the forces should be given a negative to account for the direction.

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