Practice noticing how toys move when they are pushed, pulled, rolled, bounced, or spun.
Read each problem carefully. Use words, pictures, or numbers to show your thinking in the space provided.
Exploring pushes, pulls, spins, speed, and direction
Physics - Grade 2-3
- 1
Mia gives a toy car a gentle push. Then she gives the same car a stronger push. Which push will most likely make the car go farther? Explain why.
- 2
A ball is rolling across the floor. It bumps into a wall and rolls back the other way. What changed about the ball's motion?
- 3
Lena spins a top on a smooth table. After a while, the top slows down and falls over. What force helped slow the top down?
- 4
A toy car rolls down a ramp. Circle the sentence that is true: The car is pushed by gravity down the ramp. The car is pulled upward by the ramp. Explain your choice.
- 5
Sam rolls two balls. Ball A rolls on a smooth floor. Ball B rolls on a thick rug. Which ball will probably roll farther? Explain why.
- 6
A wind-up toy car moves forward, then stops when it runs out of energy. What does the toy need to start moving again?
- 7
Look at these toy movements: a ball bouncing, a car rolling, and a top spinning. Choose one toy and describe its motion using words like forward, backward, up, down, around, fast, or slow.
- 8
A student drops a rubber ball from a low height. Then the student drops the same ball from a higher height. Which drop will most likely make the ball bounce higher?
- 9
A toy car is moving forward. A student places a block in front of it. The car hits the block and stops. What caused the car to stop?
- 10
Jamal wants his toy car to go faster down a ramp. He can make the ramp flatter or steeper. Which change should he try, and why?