Quick Recap — Forces, Equilibrium & Weight

  • Free-body diagram: mark every force on the body — weight, normal, tension, friction, applied force.
  • Equilibrium: the net force is zero; three concurrent forces obey the triangle law.
  • Weight =mg= mg; on a horizontal surface the normal force equals the weight when there is no vertical acceleration.
  • Apparent weight in a lift: N=m(g+a)N = m(g+a) moving up, m(ga)m(g-a) moving down, and 00 in free fall.
  • Circular motion: a net centripetal force mv2r\dfrac{mv^2}{r} points to the centre; on a level road friction supplies it, and its work is zero.