Original Project
Force and Motion
The magnitude of two forces can be added together.
Item FM074005: The length of force arrows pointing on an object from opposite directions can be used to determine the total force on the object.
In the drawing below, the arrows labeled Force 1 and Force 2 represent two forces acting on an object. The directions of the arrows show the directions of the forces, and the lengths of the arrows represent the strengths of the forces.
Which total force is equal to the two forces acting on the object?
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1409 | 3549 | 40% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 721 | 2254 | 32% |
| 9–12 | 684 | 1285 | 53% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 780 | 1695 | 46% |
| Female | 598 | 1781 | 34% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 1290 | 3196 | 40% |
| Other | 93 | 281 | 33% |
- NRC Framework
- MS PS2.A Each force acts on one particular object and has both a strength and a direction.
- Notes
- NGSS addresses the idea of multiple forces acting on an object but not how to interpret force arrow diagrams of those forces.