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Understanding the relationship between the strength of a force and the distance traveled.
Have you ever wondered why some toys zoom across the whole room while others just wiggle a little bit? It all depends on the 'muscle power' you choose to use!
A push is a force that moves something away from you. Think about when you close a door or move a toy car across the floor. You are using your muscles to create a force. Not all pushes are the same! A soft push uses just a little bit of energy, like a tiny tap. A hard push uses a lot of energy, like a big shove. The amount of 'oomph' you use changes how the object moves.
Quick Check
If you want to move a toy car just a tiny bit, should you use a soft push or a hard push?
Answer
A soft push.
1. Place a marble on a flat rug. 2. Give it a tiny tap with one finger (a soft push). 3. Watch it stop very close to you. 4. Now, use your whole hand to give it a big shove (a hard push). 5. Watch it roll all the way to the other side of the rug!
Quick Check
Does a stronger force make an object go a shorter distance or a longer distance?
Answer
A longer distance.
How do we know exactly how far a toy went? We can measure it! You don't always need a ruler. You can use non-standard units, like your own footsteps. By walking heel-to-toe from the start line to where the toy stopped, you can count the distance. If one car went footsteps and another went footsteps, you know the second car had a much harder push!
1. Mark a 'Start' line on the floor with tape. 2. Push a toy truck with a medium force. 3. Walk from the tape to the truck, counting your steps: . 4. The distance is footsteps. 5. If you push it harder next time, will the number of footsteps be higher or lower than ?
Imagine you have two identical balls. You push Ball A softly and it travels footsteps. You push Ball B with a force that is twice as strong. 1. Predict: Will Ball B travel more or less than footsteps? 2. Answer: It will travel more! 3. Why? Because a harder push provides more energy to overcome the friction of the floor.
Which of these is a 'hard push'?
If a toy travels 10 footsteps, did it likely receive a soft push or a hard push compared to a toy that traveled 2 footsteps?
A soft push makes an object go a very long distance.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to explain to a friend why a soccer ball goes further when you kick it hard versus when you tap it softly.
Practice Activity
Find three different toys. Give each one a 'soft' push and measure the distance in footsteps. Then give them a 'hard' push and see how many more footsteps they travel!