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About Forces and Free-Body Diagrams: May the forces be with you! Virtual Lab Simulation
Get ready to train before entering the engineering lab
You move as a result of forces acting upon you. In this simulation, you will learn the basics of common forces as you experience them in your everyday life. You will visualize the reaction of an object in a given condition using the free-body diagrams.
Deriving the net force in one direction
Dr. One, our AI lab assistant, changed a few parts in her engine. These changes affected how she moved and now she needs your help to optimize her flying! In the process, you will determine the center of mass and gravity and learn the basic steps of creating a free-body diagram in a one-dimensional problem.
Free-body diagrams for common forces
To identify the motion of an object, you first have to identify all the external forces that are exerted on it. In the forces and free-body diagrams simulation, you will create free body diagrams for a mass attached to a spring, a mass being underwater and a mass rolling down a hill. Change the magnitude of these forces – how will they affect the motion of the mass?
A free-body diagram with force components
By the end, you will understand how to resolve a force into components and evaluate the motion of an object when forces are applied to it in multiple directions. Will you be able to navigate a drone with two motors?
Get Started Now
Finish your training in basic physics concepts to join a cutting edge mechanical engineering lab. Team up with Sir Isaac Newton and understand how various forces affect the motion of objects.
Techniques in Lab
- Free body diagrams
Learning Objectives
At the end of this simulation, you will be able to…
- Draw and interpret free-body force diagrams to represent forces
- Understand the concept of center of gravity of an extended body
- Determine the net force exerted to a particle
Simulation Features
Length – 22 minutes
Languages – English, Spanish
Examples of Related Standards
University
Physics and Engineering related 1st year onwards
NGSS
HS-ETS1-2, HS-PS2-1
IB
2.2 – Forces
AP
2.3 Contact Forces
2.5 Newton’s Third Law and Free-Body Diagrams
3.2 Fundamental Forces
3.7 Free-Body Diagrams for Objects in Uniform Circular Motion
Screenshots of Forces and Free-Body Diagrams: May the forces be with you! Virtual Lab Simulation
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