Draw a freebody diagram showing the forces acting on a box sat on a table

The first thing to note is that the book is sat on the table, so it is stationary. From newtons laws, we know it must have 0 total force acting on it. Every object on the earth feels a force downwards due to gravity, so we draw an arrow downwards from the centre of the book. Since the object is stationary, we need a second force to oppose gravity. To keep the object still the force must be equal in size and in the opposite direction. We draw this force as an arrow the same length as the first but directly up from the centre of the book. This completes the diagram as no other forces are acting on it.

RS
Answered by Robin S. Physics tutor

2520 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is the unit frequency is measured in?


If a cricket ball of mass 500g is thrown upwards from the ground with an initial velocity of 20 m/s, how high will the ball reach?


I never know where to start where I get a calculation question given many values, what should I do? (e.g: finding how much energy is needed for all the ice in a glass of water to melt after the ice is dropped into warm water)


An airplane accelerates steadily from rest to 355 m/s, after travelling a distance of 105,000 m. How long, in minutes, does it take the airplane to reach this speed?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences