Year 3 Science: Pushes and pulls
Part of the Year 3 Science forces chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Pushes and pulls
A force is a push or a pull. When you push a door, you give it a force. When you pull a drawer, you give it a force too.
A push moves something away from the person pushing. A pull moves something towards the person pulling.
In a diagram, a force is drawn as an arrow. The arrow points the way the force acts. For a push, it points away from the person. For a pull, it points towards the person.
The table sorts four actions into pushes and pulls.
| Action | Push or pull? |
|---|---|
| Pushing a pram away from you | push |
| Pulling a sledge towards you | pull |
| Pushing a swing to make it go | push |
| Pulling a drawer open | pull |
Key ideas
- A force is a push or a pull.
- A push moves something away from the person pushing.
- A pull moves something towards the person pulling.
- We draw a force as an arrow that points the way the force acts.
Method. Find the row about the swing.
- Find the row. The row says pushing a swing to make it go.Pushing a swing
- Read the answer. The answer in that row is push.push
- Write the answer. push
Check. Pushing moves the swing away from you. ✓
Method. Think about the direction of a push.
- Think about the word push. A push moves something away from the person pushing.away
- Apply it to Ruby. Ruby pushes the box, so the box moves away from Ruby.away from Ruby
- Write the answer. away
Check. The arrow for the push points away from Ruby. ✓
Watch out. Think about which way the person is pushing, not which way the person is facing.
Method. Think about the direction of a pull.
- Think about a pull. A pull moves something towards the person pulling.towards
- Apply it to Leo. Leo pulls the bag, so the force on the bag points towards Leo.towards Leo
- Write the answer. towards Leo
Check. The arrow for a pull points towards the person. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: for a pull, the arrow points towards the person doing the pulling, not away from them.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). Sit on a chair with a grown-up, in a clear space. Use one hand to push a cushion or a soft toy away from you. Then use the same hand to pull it back towards you. Say which movement was a push and which was a pull, and which way each arrow would point.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “Which way did it move? Did you push it or pull it? Which way does the arrow point?” Let your child use the words push, pull and force.
Exercise 9A Pushes and pulls
Method. Think about the direction of the force.
- Think about the door. You push the door away from you.away from you
- Name the force. A force that moves something away from you is a push.push
- Write the answer. push
Check. A pull moves something towards you. ✓
Method. Think about the direction of the force.
- Think about the bucket. You pull the bucket towards you.towards you
- Name the force. A force that moves something towards you is a pull.pull
- Write the answer. pull
Check. A push moves something away from you. ✓
Method. Read the definition of a force.
- Read the definition. A force is a push or a pull.pull
- Write the answer. pull
Check. Both pushes and pulls are forces. ✓
Method. Think about the direction of a pull.
- Read the sentence. Ruby pulls the sledge towards herself.towards Ruby
- Name the direction. So the sledge moves towards Ruby.towards
- Write the answer. towards
Check. A pull brings the object towards the person. ✓
Method. Read the definition of a push.
- Read the definition. A push moves something away from the person pushing.away
- Write the answer. away
Check. A pull is the opposite: it moves something towards the person. ✓
Method. Count the rows that say push.
- Read the last column. Pushing a pram away from you and pushing a swing are pushes.two pushes
- Count them. There are two rows that say push.2
- Write the answer. 2
Check. Pulling a sledge and pulling a drawer open are the two pulls. ✓
Method. Find the row about the drawer.
- Read the first column. The row says pulling a drawer open.drawer
- Check the answer column. The answer in that row is pull, so it is a pull.pull
- Write the answer. Pulling a drawer open
Check. The other pull in the table is pulling a sledge towards you. ✓
Method. Think about a push.
- Read the sentence. Leo pushes the car, away from him.away from Leo
- Apply the rule. A push moves the car away from the person pushing.away from Leo
- Write the answer. away from Leo
Check. The arrow for the push points away from Leo. ✓
Method. Think about what a push does.
- Think about the push. A push moves the car in the direction of the push.away from you
- Write the prediction. So the car should move away from you.away from you
- Write the answer. Accept any prediction that says the car will move away from you, in the direction of the push.
Check. Test your prediction by pushing the car gently on a clear floor, with a grown-up. ✓
Method. Read the rule about pushes.
- Read the rule. A push moves something away from the person pushing.away
- Decide. So Priya is not right.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. A pull is the force that moves something towards the person. ✓
Method. Think about where each arrow points.
- Think about a push. A push arrow points away from the person pushing.away
- Think about a pull. A pull arrow points towards the person pulling.towards
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says a push arrow points away from the person, and a pull arrow points towards the person.
Check. The arrow shows which way the force acts. ✓