A strong push
A hard push sends a thing fast, and far.
Step 1: Something to Notice
Watch first. The explanation comes later.
Two children push the same ball from the same place. One ball stops near their feet. The other rolls right across the room.
Why did one ball go so much further?
Step 2: Find Out
Try a gentle push, then a hard one.
Step 1 — Predict
If you push harder, what will the ball do?
Choose what you think will happen. You cannot see the experiment until you do — guessing first is what makes it worth watching.
Step 3: So Here Is Why
Now the explanation, after you have seen it happen.
A gentle push
A gentle push starts it off slowly, so it stops close by.
Pulls work the same way
Pull gently and it creeps. Pull hard and it comes quickly.
Step 4: A Common Mistake
Lots of people think
“Every push does the same thing.”
Step 5: On the Playground
The same idea somewhere new.
A gentle push on a swing makes it move a little. A big push makes it go high. Same swing, different push.
Step 6: Think It Through
Practice makes it stick.
The Race
Problem 1 of 1
Two balls are the same. Ana pushes hers gently. Ben pushes his hard. Whose ball goes further?
Big or Small?
1 of 3
You want a ball to go a long way. Which push do you use?
2 of 3
You want the swing to go high. Which push do you use?
3 of 3
Put these pushes in order, from the smallest move to the biggest move.
- 1A medium push
- 2A hard push
- 3A gentle push
Step 7: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 1
You want a wagon to come to you quickly. Which pull?
What You Found Out
- A strong push makes something go further.
- A gentle push makes it go only a little way.
For the grown-up
How hard decides how far — The harder you push, the faster the thing leaves your hand, and the faster it leaves the further it gets before it stops. Kick a ball hard and it crosses the whole playground. How hard you pull decides how fast it moves, exactly as it does with a push.
A bigger push does more — Tap a ball gently and it rolls a little way. Kick it hard and it goes a long way. The same ball, the same kick, but a bigger push sends it further.
Sometimes gentle is better — You would not kick a ball hard indoors. A gentle push moves it a little, which is what you want near a window. Choosing how hard to push is part of doing it well. Nobody kicks a ball hard indoors, and you roll a marble gently if you want it to stay on the table.