Asked by nb

Juanita studies several free-body diagrams in which a normal force is shown. What is always true about a normal force in a free-body diagram?

It is opposite the weight.
It is perpendicular to a surface.
It is opposite the net force.
It is parallel to a surface.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
It is perpendicular to a surface.

Explanation: the normal force is the contact force a surface exerts on an object, and by definition it acts perpendicular to the surface. It need not equal (or be opposite) the weight except in special cases, and it is not parallel to the surface (that direction is where friction acts).