What is Free Body Diagram?

Free Body Diagram in physics is very useful for representing the magnitude and direction of all the forces acting on a body at a given point of time (or in a given situation). Free Body diagram is the first step towards the analysis of how the body is going to behave as a result of the application of the forces. Free Body Diagram is also abbreviated as FBD.

FBD Definition

Free Body Diagram is a diagrammatic, graphic, symbolic representation of an object (complete or partial part of another object) in which all the acting forces are shown, with there relative magnitude and direction by directed arrows.

Features of Free Body Diagram

Free Body Diagrams typically have the following features:

• All the types of forces acting on the body are shown.
• Forces are shown with arrows where the direction of the arrow shows the direction of the force acting on the body, and size of the arrow represents the relative magnitude.
• Moments are shown by the curved arrows showing the direction of action.
• The diagram is presented in a well-defined coordinate system.

While drawing a free-body diagram some assumptions are made which are specific to the problem, and air resistance and drag forces are neglected unless it is mentioned.

Free Body Diagram often called FBD is a way of representing all the forces acting on a body at a particular instant in a simpler form. It enables the calculation of the net force acting on the body and its direction of motion by making a symbolic diagram of all the forces acting on a body.

In this article, we will learn in detail about the Free Body Diagram, what are its features, how to make it, and solve some examples based on it.