Chapter 9: Forces

By the end of this chapter you will be able to

• Say that a force is a push or a pull, and show the direction of a push or a pull with an arrow
• Explain that forces act on objects and can make them start, stop, speed up, slow down or change direction
• Compare how a toy car moves on different surfaces in a fair test, and describe the pattern in the results
• Explain that friction is a force that slows down moving things, and give examples where it helps and where it gets in the way
• Name air resistance and water resistance as forces that slow down moving things
• Say that many forces need contact between two objects, and that magnetic forces can act at a distance

You should already know

• Fair tests, and changing only one thing at a time (Year 3 Science, Chapter 1)
• Light and shadows, and a fair test on shadow size (Year 3 Science, Chapter 8)

Where this leads

• Magnets, and how they attract and repel each other (Year 3 Science, Chapter 10)
• Forces in more detail, including gravity and resistance (Year 5 Science)