Lesson 3 of 7

Force diagrams

Goal: Show forces as arrows.

Puzzles for this lesson

A force diagram shows each force on an object as an arrow.

The direction of the arrow shows which way the force acts.
The length of the arrow shows the size of the force. A longer arrow means a bigger force.
Label each arrow with the name of the force and, if you know it, its size in newtons.

The push to the right is three times as big, so its arrow is three times as long.

Your turn

This lesson’s activity starts here in a moment.

I can say what the length and direction of an arrow mean.I can label the forces on an object.

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Force A push or a pull

Newton The unit of force

For teachers: AQA 3.1.3 · Pearson Edexcel 39.4