Starter quiz
- Forces (pushes and pulls) cannot be seen. So how do we represent forces in diagrams?
- We do not draw anything to represent forces.
- Forces are represented using circles.
- Forces are represented using arrows. ✓
- Forces are represented using crosses.
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- ______ arrows are used to represent forces in diagrams.
- 'force' ✓
- What is needed to draw straight lines of a set length?
- pencil and ruler ✓
- protractor and ruler
- pencil and protractor
- ink pen and ruler
- pencil
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- If a 5 N force was drawn 5 cm long, how would you draw a 10 N force?
- 1 cm long
- 5 cm long
- 10 cm long ✓
- 15 cm long
- 10 m long
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- What direction do you think arrows used to represent forces should be drawn?
- pointing up
- pointing down
- pointing in the direction the force acts ✓
- pointing in the opposite direction to the direction the force acts
- pointing to the object the force acts on
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- What direction do gravitational forces act?
- vertically upwards in a diagram
- vertically downwards in a diagram
- towards the centre of Earth ✓
- towards the surface of Earth
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Exit quiz
- The size of a force is shown by the ______ of a force arrow. (one word)
- 'length' ✓
- The ball is being thrown forwards. Which force arrow has been drawn in the correct direction to show the force of the hands on the ball?
- An ice hockey puck is sliding along ice. What is the best phrase to describe the force that slows down the puck?
- friction force
- the friction of the ice
- the friction of the puck
- the friction force of the ice on the puck ✓
- the friction force of the puck on the ice
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- Which arrow has been correctly placed to show the force of the racket on the ball?
- Which arrow has been correctly placed to show the gravitational force of Earth on the ball?
- A force of 300 N is drawn 3 cm long. On the same diagram there is a also a force of 1200 N acting. How long should this force be drawn?
- 1.2 cm
- 12 cm ✓
- 120 cm
- 1200 cm
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Force arrows show the direction of a force.
- The length of a force arrow shows the size of a force.
- A force arrow is drawn starting from a point that shows where the force acts.
- Force arrows are best labelled as the force acting on (object A) by (object B).
Common misconception
Force arrows are often added to diagrams carelessly without regard to accurate representation.
Draw force arrows from the point of interaction in the correct direction with a length proportional to the size of force.
Keywords
Force arrow - A force arrow is an arrow drawn to represent a force acting.
Size - The size of a force means its strength, this is represented by the length of a force arrow.
Direction - A force arrow must point in the same direction as the force it is representing.
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