What makes your skateboard move? What makes your chair move? Objects cannot move by themselves! It takes a force to make an object move. A push or a pull is called a force. A push moves an object away from you while a pull moves an object toward you. A person can apply force to objects to make them move. For example, you can push a toy or a grocery cart. You can pull a wagon, or pull a slingshot to make things fly. A skateboard will move only when a force is applied to it. A chair doesn’t move away from the desk unless you push it.

When you apply force to an object you put it in motion. Force can make things move faster or slower. The type and amount of force used affects the direction and speed of the object in motion. It does not take as much force to set a ping pong ball in motion. It takes a lot more force to set a bowling ball in motion! The weight and shape of the object can also affect motion. A round ball or marble can roll easily. A large box will not move as easily. It will take more force to move the box then it will to move a ball. A force can make things move faster or slower. Force can also change the direction something is moving.

Once an object is in motion it will keep in motion until some other object changes its motion. In fact, it takes force to make an object stop once it is in motion. When bowling, what happens when the bowling ball reaches the pins? The bowling ball pushes the pins out of the way. The bowling ball doesn’t stop rolling until it hits the wall. Think about playing putt putt golf. You use the putter to push the ball into motion. If the ball hits the wall or an obstacle it may change direction. When the ball rolls into the hole it stops the balls motion.

People aren’t the only things that can make an object move. There is another force called gravity. When you climb to the top of a slide, what makes you go down? If you stand at the top of the stairs and drop a ball, what makes it fall to the ground instead of float away? Gravity is a force in nature that pulls objects down toward the earth. Another type of force is magnetic force. Magnetic force can push or pull objects apart depending on the magnetic field. When magnets push objects apart we say they repel. When magnets pull objects together we say the forces attract.

As you go about your day today, think about all the force you use. You use forces all day long and have probably not even thought about it! What will you move today?