What Are Forces?

Any time two things interact with each other, a force is applied.

You may think that means one thing pushing another, but it can also mean one pulling another.

​A force is two things interacting with each other. They can PUSH each other away, or PULL each other closer together.

​Forces can even happen without living things.

When an object is pushing or pulling another, we say the force is "being applied".

What do forces do?

We can't see forces, but we can see their effects on objects. Without forces, nothing would begin moving, stop moving, change direction or change speed.

What do forces do?

• Change the shape of an object

• Change the direction of an object

• Cause something to start moving

• Cause something to stop moving

• Speed up an already moving object

• Slow down an already moving object

There are six things a force can do: