Answers to GCSE Free Body Diagrams

Practice Questions

1a. List all the forces that are acting when a man is standing on  a solid surface 

1.Force of the Earth’s gravity acting on the man. This is called the weight of the man.

2.The man  will exert a reaction force on the Earth in response pulling the Earth towards himself.

3.Weight of the man exerting a downwards force on the solid surface.

4.A reaction force from the solid surface, acting upwards on the man.

1b. Now state which forces you should use in your free body diagram if the man is considered to be the object.

Force 1 – the force of the Earth’s gravity acting on the man.

Force 4 – Reaction force from the solid surface acting upwards on the man

1c. Draw your free body diagram for this example of a man standing on a solid surface

You will need to put the size of the force where force 1 and force 4 are stated