Pushes & Pulls

Activities to try

1. 1

   Flick-and-push play: feel a bigger push make a bigger change

   Why it works: A push or pull is a force that changes how an object moves; a stronger push makes a bigger change to the motion. From rest, a push strong enough to move a free object such as a ball starts it moving in the direction it is pushed, while a sideways tap on an already-moving ball bends its existing path in the direction the tap pushes.

   1. Push and pull real objects (balls, toy cars, trolleys, a door, a drawer) and say out loud what happened: did it start, stop, speed up, slow down, or change direction?
   2. With two identical balls at rest, tap one gently and shove the other hard at the same time; watch which travels faster and further.
   3. With the same gentle push (for example, the same flick from the same spot), compare a heavier ball and a lighter ball of about the same size (for example, a solid rubber ball and a hollow plastic ball), and notice how far and fast each goes. The same push usually changes the lighter ball's motion more.
   4. Push a ball from different sides and notice that, from rest, it moves off in the direction you pushed it; once it is rolling, give it a sideways tap and watch its path bend in the direction the tap pushes it.
   5. Predict before acting: 'Which way will it go? What happens if I push harder?' Then do it and compare with your prediction.
2. 2

   Compare smooth vs rough: why things stop

   Why it works: Things slow and stop because a surface (or air) rubs against them and pushes back — friction — not because the push is used up inside the object.

   1. Give one ball the same push on a smooth floor and then on a rough carpet.
   2. Before each roll, predict which will travel further and say why.
   3. Watch the carpet ball stop sooner and talk about what was different between the two surfaces.
   4. Try to slow a ball that is already rolling toward you without catching it (for example, hold a cushion in its path).
3. 3

   Pushes slow and turn, not just start

   Why it works: A push or pull is the same kind of force whether it starts, speeds up, slows, stops, or turns an object; slowing and turning are the force acting, not something different.

   1. Take a ball that is already rolling and find a way to slow it down before it arrives (hold a cushion in its path).
   2. Give a ball that is already rolling a sideways tap and watch its path bend in the direction the tap pushes it.
   3. Say which of these a push can do: start it, stop it, speed it up, slow it down, change its direction — and show an example of each with a real object.