wunder beta🛝 Predicting How Things Move
Every wobble, roll, and zoom starts with a push or a pull. Learn what forces do to moving things — and start predicting what happens next.
What you’ll learn
- Pushes and PullsUnderstand that a force is a push or a pull, and tell pushes and pulls apart.Nothing starts moving on its own. A push or a pull, called a force, makes things move. A push sends something away; a pull brings it closer. Kicking a ball is a push, and pulling a wagon or a tug-of-war rope is a pull.
- What a Force Can DoDescribe the different ways a force can change how an object moves, and that a bigger force makes a bigger change.A force can start something moving, stop it, speed it up, slow it down, or change its direction — and even change its shape. The bigger the force, the bigger the change: a hard push sends a car faster and farther than a gentle one.
- Predicting What Happens NextUse the direction and size of a force to predict how an object will move.To predict motion, look for a force, find which way it points, and check how big it is. A force starts things moving the way it points, and a bigger force makes a bigger change. A marble on a ramp is pulled downhill, so it speeds up to the bottom.
Questions this course answers
What do scientists call a push or a pull?
A push or a pull is called a force. Forces are what make things start, stop, or change how they move.
Opening a drawer by its handle is an example of which one?
You bring the drawer toward you, and a force that brings something closer is a pull.
A goalkeeper catches a fast-moving ball. What does that force do to the ball?
The hands push back on the ball and bring it to rest, so the force stops the ball's motion.
Compared with a gentle push, a hard push on the same toy car makes it go...
A bigger force makes a bigger change to motion, so a harder push sends the car faster and farther.
A marble is let go at the top of a ramp. What can you predict it will do?
The marble is pulled down the slope, so it starts moving downhill and speeds up as it rolls.
To predict how something will move, the first thing to check is whether...
Motion only changes when a force acts, so you first look for a push or a pull before predicting anything.
Grounded in trusted sources
- BBC Bitesize
- Britannica Kids
- The Physics Classroom
- NASA
Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.
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