Bigger push, bigger effect
Physics · Key Stage 1 · The School
Force is not just yes or no
A push is not simply "it works" or "it does not". A push has an AMOUNT too. A gentle push is a small amount of force. A hard push is a big amount. Same direction, different amount, different result.
Testing a gentle push
Give a toy car one gentle push on a flat floor. Mark exactly where it stops. Measure the distance with a ruler or string. Write the number down. That is your starting result, to compare everything else against. Keep the floor exactly the same.
Testing a harder push
Put the same car back at the same start line. Give it a much harder push, the same direction as before. Measure again. It should travel further this time. The push changed. Nothing else about the car or the floor did.
Three pushes, three distances
Push the same toy car three times: gently, medium, and hard, always in the exact same direction, on the exact same floor. Measure the distance every time. Write all three numbers in a simple table. The gentle push might travel 20 centimetres. The medium push might reach 60. The hard push might reach 150. Bigger push, bigger number, every single time. That pattern is not a coincidence — it is force in action, measured properly.
Predicting a new push
Now predict: if a medium push sends the car 60 centimetres, roughly how far would an even harder push send it? Test your prediction. You will not be exactly right every time, but the general pattern, bigger push, bigger distance, will hold.