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Students learn that a push moves an object away from them.
Imagine you have a toy car sitting perfectly still. How can you make it zoom across the room without picking it up? You use a secret 'magic' power called a push!
A push is a kind of force. A force is just a word for a 'power' that makes things move. When you push something, you use your muscles to move that object away from your body. Think about when you close a heavy drawer or move a chair to sit down. You are using your strength to move those things further from you. In physics, we say that a push is a force that acts in the direction you are facing!
Let's look at how we close a door: 1. Stand in front of an open door. 2. Place your hand flat against the wood. 3. Move your arm forward to move the door away from you. 4. The door swings shut because of your push!
Quick Check
When you push an object, does it move toward you or away from you?
Answer
It moves away from you.
We use pushes all day long, even when we don't realize it! When you wake up, you might push the warm covers off your bed. When you go to school, you might push a button to call the elevator or push the keys on a computer to type your name. Every time you move something by moving it away from yourself, you are performing the magic of a push. Even your feet push against the ground to help you walk!
Imagine helping at the store: 1. You grab the handle of a big metal cart. 2. You walk forward, moving your arms away from your chest. 3. The cart moves forward in front of you. 4. Because the cart moves away from you, this is a push!
Quick Check
Is typing on a keyboard a push or a pull?
Answer
It is a push because your finger moves the key away from you.
Not all pushes are the same! The amount of force you use changes how far something goes. If you give a toy car a tiny, gentle push, it might only move a few inches. But if you use a big push, the car will zoom across the whole room! We can think of this like a simple math rule:
To make something move very fast, you need to use a lot of your muscle power to give it a giant push.
Let's test our force: 1. Line up two toy cars on a flat floor. 2. Give Car A a tiny tap with one finger. 3. Give Car B a big shove with your whole hand. 4. Observe that Car B travels much further because you used more force!
What does a push do to an object?
Which of these is an example of a push?
A big push makes a toy car move slower than a small push.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to find three things you push before you leave for school. Can you find a button, a door, and a toy?
Practice Activity
Find a ball and try pushing it on carpet, then try pushing it on a smooth kitchen floor. Which push made the ball go further?