Pushes, Pulls & Motion Playground

A force is a push or a pull. Forces can make things start moving, stop moving, speed up, slow down, or change direction.

When you push a box across the floor, your hand applies a force to the box. The stronger the push, the faster it moves.

Forces have both strength (how hard you push) and direction (which way you push).

Friction is a force that slows things down. It happens when two surfaces rub against each other.

Rough surfaces like carpet and sandpaper have lots of friction. Smooth surfaces like ice have very little friction.

The same push moves an object much farther on ice than on carpet because ice has less friction to slow it down.

When two forces push on an object with equal strength in opposite directions, they cancel out. These are balanced forces and the object stays still.

When one force is stronger than the other, the forces are unbalanced. The object moves toward the side with less force.

A tug of war is a good example. If both teams pull equally, nobody moves. If one team pulls harder, that team wins.

A stronger push makes an object move faster and farther. A weaker push makes it move slower and not as far.

More friction means less motion. The same push on carpet gives a shorter slide than on a smooth wooden floor.

To move a heavy object, you need a bigger force. That is why it is harder to push a full wagon than an empty one.