tlh teacher’s little helper
Worksheet

Forces All Around

Pushes, pulls and force arrows

A force is a push or a pull. Forces can make things start moving, stop, speed up, slow down or change direction. We show a force with an arrow: the way it points shows the direction, and a bigger arrow means a bigger force.

Push force pushes the box Pull force pulls the box Tug-of-war: balanced vs unbalanced forces left pull right pull (bigger!)
Top: a push and a pull, shown with arrows. Bottom: in a tug-of-war, equal pulls are balanced (the flag stays still); when one side pulls harder the forces are unbalanced and the flag moves that way.

Working with forces

Q1. Is each action a push, a pull, or both?

ActionPush, pull or both
Opening a drawer
Kicking a ball
Pressing a doorbell
Pulling up your socks
Riding a swing

Q2. Sort these forces into contact (needs touching) or at a distance (no touching): friction, gravity, a push, magnetism, a pull.

Contact forceForce at a distance

Q3. Draw the force arrows on this tug-of-war so that the left team wins. Remember: a bigger arrow means a bigger force.

Q4. Two teams pull a rope with equal force. Are the forces balanced or unbalanced? What happens to the rope?

Q5. Explain what unbalanced forces do to an object. Give one example.