Free body diagrams with forces at any angle
The Free Body Diagram Generator draws one body, a dot or a block, ball or cart, with every force on it drawn as an arrow from its middle, and nothing else around it: no floor, ramp or string. You set each force’s direction, in degrees counterclockwise from the right, and its length compared with the others, so equal forces are drawn equal and a bigger force is drawn longer.
Teachers use it for Newton’s laws questions on tests, worksheets and slides: draw the forces for students to name, or leave the labels blank for them to fill in. For a force at an angle, mark its angle or show its components, for questions on resolving forces. Velocity and acceleration can go beside the body as dashed arrows, so they’re never taken for forces.
What you can set
- The body: a dot, or a block, ball or cart drawn at 50% to 200% of its usual size
- Up to eight forces, each with its direction, length and label, added from buttons for gravity, normal, friction, tension, applied, spring and air resistance forces pointing the usual way
- For a force at an angle, an angle mark from the horizontal or vertical, and its horizontal and vertical components
- Every label written, with subscripts and Greek letters such as θ and μ, a blank line for students, or left off
- Velocity and acceleration arrows beside the body, drawn dashed
- Mirror, to flip the figure left to right, and color for slides
Copying, printing and sharing
Copy the figure straight into a test, worksheet or slide, or download it as a PNG or SVG. Printing the page prints
just the figure. Share link copies the page’s address with your settings in it, so anyone who opens it sees this
exact figure, and presets save settings you use often in your browser. It’s free, with no sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
What goes on a free body diagram?
Only the body and the forces acting on it, each an arrow pointing the way the force acts. Forces the body exerts on other things don’t belong, and neither do the floor, ramp or rope. Velocity and acceleration aren’t forces, so the generator draws them dashed, beside the body rather than on it.
Should the body be a dot or a box?
Either. AP Physics asks for a dot, with every force starting from it. A block, ball or cart helps younger students see what the diagram is of; the forces still start from its middle.
How do I set which way a force points?
Directions are in degrees counterclockwise from the right: 0° points right, 90° up, 180° left and 270° down. The Up, Down, Left and Right buttons set those four, and the slider or the box sets any angle in between.
Are the forces drawn to scale?
Roughly. Each force has a length from 0.25 to 2 times the usual, measured past the body’s edge, so you can draw balanced forces equal and a bigger force longer. The lengths show which force is bigger, not an exact scale.
Which way do the normal force and friction point on a ramp?
The normal force points straight out of the surface, at a right angle to it, and friction points along the surface, against the way the body slides or would slide. On a ramp rising to the right at angle θ, the normal force is tilted θ from the vertical: set its direction to 90° plus θ.
How do I show components without giving away the answer?
Components are off until you turn them on for a force. They’re drawn as thinner, lighter dashed arrows along the horizontal and vertical, with dotted guides from the force’s tip, and their labels can be left blank for students.
Physics Figures Free Body Diagram Generator