What are pushes?

A push is when you use your body or something else to move things from one place to another.

Imagine you're playing with your favorite toy car on the floor. When you use your hand to make it go forward, that’s a push, you’re giving it a little nudge so it can zoom across the room.

Like Giving a Nudge

Think of pushing like giving a friend a gentle shove to get them moving. If you're on a swing and someone gives you a push, you go higher in the air! That person is using their body to make you move, just like how you use your hand to push your toy car.

Pushes Are Everywhere

You give pushes all day long without even noticing: when you open a door, when you move a chair, or even when you kick a ball. Every time you send something moving because of your body’s force, that’s a push, simple, fun, and very real!

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. A child pushes a toy car across the floor.
  2. You push a shopping cart to move it forward.
  3. A football player pushes another player during a tackle.

Ask a question

See also

Discussion

Recent activity

Categories: Physics · force· motion· physics basics