Question

A gymnast has just landed on a trampoline. She's still moving downward as the trampoline stretches.

1. Draw a free-body diagram for the gymnast.
2. Draw the force vectors with their tails at the dot.

Answer 1

(1) The free body diagram of the gymnast and the forces acting is shown in the image attached.

(2) The tail of the force vectors is at the dot representing the gymnast.

How to draw the free body diagram of the gymnast?

(1) The free body diagram of the forces acting on the gymnast consists the following;

Weight (W): This force acts vertically downward and represents the gravitational pull on the gymnast.

Normal Force (N): The trampoline exerts an upward force (normal force) on the gymnast, resisting the force of gravity.

Spring Force (Fs): As the trampoline stretches, it exerts a spring force upward on the gymnast, resisting further compression.

(2) In the free body diagram, the tail of the force vectors is touching the dot representing the gymnast and the direction of the arrow indicating the direction of the force.