Physics Resultant Forces

A force is either a pull or a pull – they can be contact or non-contact forces and are measured in Newtons (N). 

1 Newton is the force required to accelerate a 1kg mass by 1m/s2 – which is where the above equation is derived. 

•When we graphically represent forces we use arrows. 

Remember that all force arrows start at the centre of mass. The bigger the arrow the bigger the force.

Force is a VECTOR quantity, so the arrow shows the direction the force is acting in

Free body diagrams are diagrams used to show the relative magnitude (size) and direction of all the forces acting on an object in a given situation (they are vector diagrams).

The length of the arrow represents the size of the force and has to be to scale

The direction represents the direction the force is acting in.