• 13 force arrows
  • Checked September 2026

Free Body Diagram Worksheet

An arrow lights up: pick the force it shows, or print the sheet blank.

Free Body Diagram Worksheet

Name Date

Which force is the lit arrow?

1 of 8

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
More options

Write the name of each numbered force arrow.Answer key

  1. Weight
  2. Normal force
  3. Tension
  4. Weight
  5. Applied force
  6. Friction
  7. Normal force
  8. Weight
  9. Weight
  10. Normal force
  11. Friction
  12. Weight
  13. Air resistance

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a force arrow is answered.

Next step Next: a potential energy diagram

All 13 force arrows on the diagram

Show the list

At rest and hanging 4

  1. Weight The force of gravity on the book. It points straight down, toward the center of the Earth.
  2. Normal force The table's push on the book. It is at a right angle to the tabletop. It is as large as the weight, so the book stays at rest.
  3. Tension The pull of the rope on the bucket, along the rope. A rope can pull but cannot push. Here it is as large as the weight.
  4. Weight The force of gravity on the bucket, straight down. The rope holds the bucket up against it.

Pushed box 4

  1. Applied force The push of the hand on the box. A push or a pull from outside is drawn as an applied force.
  2. Friction Friction acts along the floor, opposite to the way the box slides. On a moving object it is called kinetic friction.
  3. Normal force The floor's push on the box. It is at a right angle to the floor.
  4. Weight The force of gravity on the box, straight down.

Ramp and falling 5

  1. Weight Weight points straight down even on a ramp. It does not tilt with the slope.
  2. Normal force It is at a right angle to the ramp, not straight up. On a slope it is smaller than the weight.
  3. Friction It acts along the ramp and points up the slope. That is against the slide it prevents. On an object at rest it is called static friction.
  4. Weight The force of gravity on the ball, straight down. It is why the ball falls.
  5. Air resistance The air pushes on the ball opposite to the way it moves. So here it points up. It is also called drag.

How this list was compiled: Every force name, direction and detail line was checked on 2026-09-30 against (1) OpenStax, College Physics 2e, 4.5 Normal, Tension, and Other Examples of Forces, https://openstax.org/books/college-physics-2e/pages/4-5-normal-tension-and-other-examples-of-forces (weight as the force of gravity; the normal force, perpendicular to the surface of contact and equal to the weight of a load at rest on a level support, smaller on an incline; tension as a pull along a rope, equal to the weight of a hanging mass at rest); 5.1 Friction, https://openstax.org/books/college-physics-2e/pages/5-1-friction (friction parallel to the contact surface and opposing motion or attempted motion; kinetic and static friction); 5.2 Drag Forces, https://openstax.org/books/college-physics-2e/pages/5-2-drag-forces (the drag force always opposes the motion of an object); and OpenStax, University Physics Volume 1, 5.7 Drawing Free-Body Diagrams, https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-1/pages/5-7-drawing-free-body-diagrams (the rules for a free-body diagram; normal force, friction, tension, weight and applied force as the forces to consider; the net force is not drawn). (2) Wikipedia, text only, Free body diagram, Normal force, Tension (physics) and Drag (physics), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_body_diagram (the forces a free body diagram shows: friction, gravity, normal force, drag, tension; applied forces; weight, friction and normal force on a block on a ramp). The scenes, arrows, hints and detail lines are our own. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Five objects, each drawn with one arrow for every force on it. Name the force on each arrow: weight, normal force, tension, friction, applied force or air resistance. Print blank gives the same sheet on paper.

Read the full guide

How to read each diagram

A free-body diagram shows one object and only the forces that act on it. Start with weight: gravity pulls every object straight down. Then look at what touches the object. A surface pushes back at a right angle to itself; that is the normal force. A rope pulls along its length; that is tension. A rough surface drags along itself against the slide; that is friction. A hand gives an applied force, and air pushes against a moving object.

  • On a ramp the weight still points straight down; only the normal force and the friction tilt with the slope.
  • The net force is not drawn on a free-body diagram, and neither are forces the object puts on other things.

Questions and answers

What forces go on a free body diagram?

Every force that acts on the one object: its weight, and a force for each thing that touches it, such as a normal force from a surface, tension from a rope, friction, an applied push or pull, or air resistance.

Which way does the normal force point?

At a right angle to the surface the object rests on. On a level table that is straight up. On a ramp it leans with the slope, and it is smaller than the weight.

Which way does friction point on a free body diagram?

Along the surface, opposite to the way the object slides or would slide. For a box pushed to the right it points left. For a block at rest on a ramp it points up the slope.

Is there a blank free body diagram worksheet to print?

Print blank gives the five diagrams with every arrow numbered and a line to write each force on. Print labeled adds the answers, for checking.

More quizzes

Show 8 more

Browse Science Quizzes