What is a force?
A force is a push or a pull. You use a force when you kick a ball, open a door or lift your bag. We cannot see a force, but we can see what it does to things around us.
Key idea
A force is a push or a pull that can change how an object moves or how it looks.
What can a force do?
A force can make a still object start to move, like pushing a toy car. It can make a moving object stop, speed up, slow down or change direction. A force can also change the shape of an object, like squashing dough or stretching a rubber band.
- Make an object move or stop
- Make it faster, slower or turn
- Change its shape
Example
When you press soft clay with your hand, your push (a force) changes its shape.
Strong and weak forces
A big force moves things more than a small force. Pushing a heavy box needs a bigger force than pushing a light box. The bigger the force, the bigger the change you see.