How Does Upwards Vs Downwards Compression & Expansion Explained Work?

Imagine you're blowing up a balloon, that’s expansion; when you let the air out, that’s compression.

Now think about your favorite toy: a spring. When you push it down, it gets shorter, that's downwards compression. When you pull it apart, it stretches out, that's upwards expansion.

Think of a ball bouncing on the floor. When it hits the ground and squishes down, that’s like downwards compression. It’s being pushed from above. Then, when it bounces back up, that’s upwards expansion, because it's stretching out as it moves away from the floor.

A slinky is like a spring too! If you hold one end and let it hang down, then push it up, whoosh!, it squishes together. That’s downwards compression. But if you pull it apart, like when you stretch it out between two hands, that's upwards expansion.

So whether you're playing with a spring, a ball, or even a balloon, everything around you is either being squeezed down or stretched up, just like in the world of physics! Imagine you're blowing up a balloon, that’s expansion; when you let the air out, that’s compression.

Now think about your favorite toy: a spring. When you push it down, it gets shorter, that's downwards compression. When you pull it apart, it stretches out, that's upwards expansion.