Push and Pull
What forces do — move, stop, turn, squash
What this lesson covers
Why it matters
Kick a ball: it moves. Catch it: it stops. Squeeze clay: it changes shape. Every one of those was YOU applying a force — a push or a pull.
Predict first
A force can…
Forces are the universe's verbs: start, stop, speed up, slow down, turn, squash, stretch — all pushes and pulls.
- start, stop, turn OR change the shape of things — correct
- only make things move
- only break things
What you do
One ball, five buttons — make a force start it, stop it, speed it, turn it and squash it.
Check yourself
Squeezing a sponge shows that force can change an object's…
No movement needed — deforming counts as a force's work too.
A goalkeeper catching a speeding ball uses force to…
Stopping is as much a force job as starting.
A strong push can change a ball's speed, direction or shape — but it can NEVER change its…
Force changes motion and shape, never the amount of stuff. Squashed clay is still the same clay — Selina's ''effect on mass: NO effect''.
- shape — correct
- colour
- name
- STOP a moving object — correct
- start it moving
- change its colour
- mass — the amount of matter stays exactly the same — correct
- speed
- shape