Year 3 Science · Forces · Summary
Year 3 Science Forces: summary and key words
Part of the Year 3 Science forces chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Chapter summary
| Skill | Method |
|---|---|
| Pushes and pulls | A force is a push or a pull. A push moves something away from the person, and a pull moves it towards them. Forces are drawn as arrows. |
| Changing motion | A force can start, stop, speed up, slow down or change the direction of an object. |
| Contact and magnets | Many forces need the two objects to touch. Magnetic forces can act at a distance, across a small gap. |
| Surfaces | In a fair test on surfaces, change only the surface. A rough surface makes the car travel a shorter distance. |
| Friction | Friction is a force between surfaces that rub. It slows down moving things, and it can help us or get in the way. |
| Air and water resistance | Air resistance and water resistance are forces that push against moving things and slow them down. |
Can you…?
- I can say that a force is a push or a pull, and draw its direction as an arrow
- I can name four things a force can do to a moving or still object
- I can say which forces need contact, and that a magnet can act at a distance
- I can plan and read a fair test on how things move on different surfaces
- I can say what friction is, and give an example where it helps and one where it gets in the way
- I can name air resistance and water resistance, and say what they do to moving things
Key terms
- force
- a push or a pull
- push
- a force that moves something away from the person pushing
- pull
- a force that moves something towards the person pulling
- arrow
- a drawing that shows the direction in which a force acts
- contact
- when two objects touch each other
- act at a distance
- to affect something without touching it, as a magnet can pull a steel paper clip across a small gap
- surface
- the top layer that an object moves on, such as a floor or a carpet
- friction
- a force that acts between two surfaces that rub, and slows down moving things
- air resistance
- a force from the air that pushes against moving things and slows them down
- water resistance
- a force from the water that pushes against moving things and slows them down
- average
- the total of several results, divided by how many results there are
- fair test
- a test where only one thing is changed, and everything else is kept the same