Correlation of free-body diagrams to problem-solving skill on particle dynamics topic

Free Body Diagrams (FBDs) are devices used to abstract force vectors in Newtonian mechanics, which can provide an overview of students’ skills in performing force and vector analysis. Problem-solving skills are one of the skills that are needed when identifying, determining and solving problems by using creative thinking, literacy, and logic. Previous research indicated that students had difficulties when solving problems, especially in vector and force analysis, which then had a negative impact on the use of Newton’s law concept. Therefore, this study aims to provide an overview of problem-solving skills, FBD quality, and the correlation between FBD quality scores and problem-solving skills. In this study, a descriptive quantitative method was used. The research data was obtained by providing instruments in the form of 5 FBDs essay questions and 5 problem-solving essay questions to physics students in UM who have taken the topic of particle dynamics. The research carried out produced data in the form of the average FBD skill by students of 38.04%, the average problem-solving skill of 65.14%, and the good quality of FBDs correlated with good problem-solving skill with a percentage of 23%.