Free body diagrams with animated GIF files

A free body diagram (FBD) is a graphic representation in which all connecting bodies have been removed, or the body is freed from connecting bodies, to shows all forces acting on the body. Drawing a FBD is important in force analysis as it facilitates writing equations of equilibrium of a mechanical system to determine unknown forces and moments. Drawing a FBD correctly is thus an important skill for an engineering student. Many students have troubles drawing FBDs as there are insufficient examples in the textbooks, especially in the junior and senior level design courses. Over the years, the author has created many FBDs to assist students' learning. In this paper, the author presents several examples using animated GIF files to guide students to develop FBDs step by step, and these animated GIF files can be easily incorporated in a PowerPoint presentation. Because animation will only work on a computer, screen shots of these animation files are shown in this paper, and the process of creating them is explained. © 2017 American Society for Engineering Education. All Rights Reserved.