Force+and+Motion

What is force? media type="youtube" key="xKmhS4qLj_s" height="315" width="420" align="center"

This is our big question of the week. Force and motion occur in the world all around us all of the time. **Force** is the capacity to use energy to do work. **Pushing** and **pulling** are two types of work that are considered a force. **Gravity** is a force that pulls objects to the earth. **Motion** is the change in position of an object because of a force. In other words, its how and where an object moves because of a push or pull.

Here are some questions you can investigate: How does **speed** (how fast something moves) and **weight** (how heavy an object is) affect the amount of force and energy needed to move an object? Make your own experiment... choose different objects. What happens when you push the object hard? What happens when you push it soft? If you do the same thing with an object that is heavier, what happens?

Have you ever wondered why ice is so slippery when you walk on it, or why it’s harder to ride your bike on grass rather than your driveway? These effects are caused by **friction**. Friction is a type of force that is caused when two surfaces are rubbing together. Try pushing objects on different surfaces such as carpet, tile, sandpaper, or rubber. On which surface does your object move easiest? hardest?

Magnets can be used to push and pull. There are many activities you can do to explore magnets! Go on a scavenger hunt with a magnet and record which objects are attracted to your magnet and which are not. Don't forget to make a prediction (hypothesis) first!