Cha

pter

A force is a push or pull

that moves an object
or holds it in place.
Forces can be measured
with a spring scale.
Friction is a force that
slows or stops
movement.
Surface texture, slope,
and load affect the
amount of force
needed to make an
object move.
Forces can be
combined to affect the
way things move.

Skateboarders can really move! Some skateboarders look

like theyre flying through the air as they twist and turn.
Then they land on the ground and come to a sudden stop.
How can they change direction in a split second? How can
they start and stop moving so quickly? Forces help
skateboarders move, change direction, and stop.
In this chapter, you will learn about the ways that forces
affect how things move. You will learn that forces can be
used to start and stop motion and to change an objects
speed and direction. You will also learn that other things
affect the amount of force needed to make an object move.

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apter 1
Ch

What Makes Things Move?

You use a pushing

force when you kick a
soccer ball.

Have you ever played soccer? If you have, then you know
that you have to use force to make the soccer ball go where
you want it to go. A force is a push or a pull on an object.
When you kick a soccer ball, you are pushing the ball in the
direction you want it to go. When a goalie stops the ball, the
goalie is pulling the ball in a different direction to stop it
from going into the net.

Important vocabulary
words are highlighted.
Make sure you
understand what
these words mean.

When you pull an object in the direction you want it to go, you are
using force.
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Forces are all around you. They affect everyone and

everything in different ways. You can see the effects of some
forces, like the wind, the force of your foot kicking a soccer
ball, or the pull or push of a magnet. There are also forces
that are invisible, like the force of gravity [GRAV-uh-tee]
pulling you to the ground.

Observe a Bouncing Ball

Skills Focus: observing, measuring

1. Drop a ball from a height of 1 m. Record how high

the ball bounces.
2. How can you change the force you use on the ball to make
the ball bounce higher or lower? Try it and see.
3. How did changing the force change the height that
the ball bounced?

In the Try This activity, forces made the ball move.

When you dropped the ball, the force of gravity pulled it to
the ground. When you changed the force you used on the
ball, the motion changed. For instance, when you increased
the force you used on the ball, the ball bounced higher.
The force you use affects how an object moves.

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Observe How a Ball Moves

Skills Focus: predicting, observing, measuring
1. Roll the ball toward another student in your
group. Change the force you use on the ball
to make the ball roll faster. Now, change the
force you use on the ball to make it roll slower.
2. Roll the ball around in the circle formed by
your legs. Use force to make the ball change
direction.
3. How can you use force to change the speed
and direction of the ball?

You were able to control the speed and direction that the
ball moved by controlling how you used force. When the
amount of force used on an object changes, the motion of the
object changes. For instance, when you changed the amount
of force you used, the speed of the ball changed. When you
changed the direction of the force, the direction of the ball
changed. You were able to stop the ball by using force.
Forces affect the motion of objects around us every day.
Some forces make things move. Other forces slow things
down, stop them, or hold them in place.

1. What is a force?
2. Think about riding a bike or going skateboarding. Choose one
of these activities and describe, in words or pictures, how force
is used to
start and stop moving
change speed
change direction

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apter 1
Ch

Measuring Forces
You can measure forces using a spring scale. A spring scale
measures force in a unit called newtons [NOO-tuhnz]. The
symbol for newtons is N.
Weight [WAYT] is a measure of the force of gravity on

an object. When you hang an object from the hook on a

spring scale, the downward force of gravity stretches the
spring. The scale shows the strength of the force of gravity
in newtons.

The weight of the marbles is 3.0 N on Earth, but only 0.5 N on

the Moon.

The force of gravity is different depending on where you

are. The force of gravity on Earth is about six times as great
as the force of gravity on the Moon. There are even
differences in the force of gravity at different places on
Earth. The farther you are away from the centre of Earth,
the less gravity is pulling on you.

NEL

Measure Force
Skills Focus: predicting, observing, measuring
1. Using string, tie a 500 mL
bottle with 400 mL of
water in it to a spring
scale. Pull the bottle up
so that it is hanging from
the spring scale. Hold it
still to measure the force
of gravity.

To read the
measurement on a
spring scale correctly,
make sure that you look
at the scale at eye level.

2. Predict how the amount of force would change if you

measured the force acting on two identical bottles. Tie
another bottle to the spring scale, and pull up both bottles.
Read the measurement on the spring scale.
3. Work with a partner.
Attach two spring scales
to one bottle. Pull equally
to raise the bottle. Read
the spring scales when
the bottle is still. How
does the amount of
force change when two
people lift the bottle?
4. Predict how the amount of force would change if three or four
people lifted the bottle. Try this to check your prediction.

1. What tool can you use to measure force?

2. Would you expect to get the same results in the Try This activity
if you did it on the Moon? Explain your answer.

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apter 1
Ch

Friction
Observe Friction
Skills Focus: observing, inferring
Check your
understanding of
friction by finding
examples from your
own life. When have
you noticed friction
slow something down
or make something
hard to move?

1. Rub your hands together for one minute. What do you feel?
What do you hear?
2. Put some liquid soap on your hands, and rub them again.
What differences do you notice from step 1?
3. Cover your desk with a piece of newspaper. Rub two small
pieces of sandpaper together. What do you feel? What do you
hear? Is there anything on the newspaper?

Friction [FRIK-shun] is a force that resists movement.

Friction slows down moving objects and makes objects that

are not moving hard to move. Friction can create noise and
heat. When you did the Try This activity, you experienced
friction. When you rubbed your hands together, you heard
the friction and felt your hands get warm. Friction can also
cause surfaces to wear away, as you saw when you rubbed
together two pieces of sandpaper.
The way your running shoes keep you from sliding across
a wood or tiled floor is an example of friction. Basketball
players need friction between their shoes and the floor,
so they can control how they move.

The friction between a

basketball players shoes
and the floor stops the
basketball player from
sliding forward.

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NEL

When two things come in contact with each other, there is

friction. Imagine pushing a box along a floor. The force of
friction acting on the box occurs between the surface of the
floor and the side of the box sliding along the floor.

Force of friction

Pushing force

Read the first paragraph

on this page and
examine the diagram
and the caption below
it. Then use your own
words to explain the
diagram to a partner.

Friction occurs between the bottom of the box and the floor.

Friction and Surface Texture

Friction occurs because surfaces are not perfectly smooth.
Even ice, which looks perfectly smooth, actually has a
bumpy, uneven surface.

Ice may look smooth, but, when it is magnified 20 times, you can
see its rough surface.

The amount of friction between two objects depends on

what the objects are made from. Different objects feel
different when you touch them. The way that an object feels
is called its surface texture. Surfaces can be rough, smooth,
or slippery. How would you describe the surface texture of
sandpaper, a mirror, and liquid soap?
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Surface texture affects the amount of friction between two

surfaces. The rougher the surfaces, the more friction there
is between the objects. If you move an object over a rough
surface, such as a bumpy sidewalk, you will have to use more
force than if you move the same object over a smoother
surface, such as ice.

Movement is easy on a
smooth surface, like ice,
because there is less friction
to slow things down.

The Advantages and

Disadvantages of Friction
Friction is helpful to us in many ways. Without friction,
you would not be able to walk. Your feet would slip out from
under you! It is the friction between the surface of your shoes
and the ground that allows you to walk. Friction also lets you
slow down or stop moving. Bicycles need the friction between
their brakes and their wheels, and between their wheels and
the road, to slow them down.

The friction between

two surfaces slows
movement. It makes it
possible for us to slow
down and stop.

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Sometimes friction can be a disadvantage. Friction slows

down objects and makes them harder to move. When you
are skating or going down a waterslide, you want to go fast.
It is friction that slows you down.
If you are snowboarding, friction slows you down as you
travel over the snow. To go faster, you have to spread wax
over the bottom surface of the snowboard to reduce friction.
However, you also need friction when you are snowboarding.
The edges of the snowboard are shaped to make use of
friction. The edges are sharp so that you can control your
movement when turning and stop when you need to.
The water on a
waterslide reduces friction
so you can go faster.

Snowboarders want
less friction so they can
go fast, but they also
need friction to control
their speed and direction.

1. What is friction? How does friction change the way things move?
2. Name three things that can happen when two surfaces
rub together.
3. How does surface texture affect the amount of friction
between objects?
4. Draw two pictures. In one picture, show an activity where
friction is an advantage. In the other picture, show an activity
where friction is a disadvantage. Write one sentence for each
picture to explain your ideas.

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apter 1
Ch

What Affects the

Amount of Force Needed
to Move an Object?
Predict What Affects Force
Skills Focus: predicting, observing, measuring, inferring

1. Place an object in the box. Use a spring

scale to measure the amount of force
needed to pull the box across the floor
or a table.

What Affects Force

Prediction
Was your prediction
correct?
I would need
to use more
force if

2. What could you do that would increase

the amount of force needed to move
the box? What could you do that would
decrease the amount of force needed to
move the box? Copy the table on the
right into your notebook. Write your
predictions in your table.

I would need
to use less
force if

3. Test the predictions you wrote in your table.

Use a spring scale to measure the force.

Forces affect the way things move. You need forces to start
and stop the motion of an object. There are things that affect
the amount of force you need to make an object move.
For example, surface texture, slope [SLOHP], and load all
affect the amount of force you need to make an object move.

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Surface Texture
You have learned that surface texture affects the amount
of friction between two surfaces. The more friction there is
between two surfaces, the more force you need to make an
object move.

Slope
Slope affects the amount of force needed to make an
object move. Slope is a change in height between two
points. When a surface is sloped, it is on an angle. For
example, the roofs of many houses are sloped. A sloped
surface is also called a ramp.

The rough surface

texture of the sandpaper
creates a lot of friction
between the sandpaper
and the wood.

When slope changes, the amount of force needed to move

an object also changes. Moving an object up a ramp requires
more force than moving an object across a flat surface. If you
increase the slope of a ramp, the amount of force you need
to move an object up the ramp also increases.

Look at the section

title and the headings
on this page and the
next page. When you
have finished reading
this section, check your
understanding by
answering the question
in the section title.

If you ride a bike up the slope of a hill, you need to use a lot of force.

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Moving an object down a ramp requires less force than

moving an object across a flat surface. If you increase the
slope of a ramp, the amount of force you need to move an
object down the ramp decreases.

If you ride down a hill, you need to use less force.

Load
Load affects the amount of force needed to make an object
move. Load is the weight of the object you are trying to
move. The larger the load is, the more force you need to move
it. For example, you need more force to lift a backpack with
four textbooks in it than a backpack with one textbook in it.

You need more force to lift a backpack when you increase the load
of the backpack.

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NEL

1. Look at each pair of pictures. What is affecting the amount of

force needed to move? Which student in each pair of pictures
would be able to use the least amount of force?

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apter 1
Ch

Combining Forces
Most objects have more than one force acting on them at
the same time. When forces combine, they affect the way
that an object moves.

When you fly a kite, gravity, the wind, and the pull of the string
affect how high and in what direction the kite flies.
Pushing force
of desk upward

Balanced Forces
Consider a pencil sitting on your desk. What forces are acting
on it? There is the downward pull of gravity and the upward
push of your desk. When two forces of equal strength act in
opposite directions, they are called balanced forces. As long
as the two forces acting on the pencil remain balanced, the
pencil will not move.

Pulling force of
gravity downward

When the forces are

equal, the pencil will not
move.

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When the forces on an object are balanced, the object is

said to be in equilibrium [EE-kwuh-LIHB-ree-um]. When
an object is in equilibrium, there is no change in the motion
of the object.
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Observe Balanced Forces

Skills Focus: observing, inferring
1. Work with a partner. Stand back to back,
leaning against each other. Slowly move your
feet away from your partner until they are about
1 m apart. Continue pushing against each other,
trying to remain balanced and motionless. Think
about the way that you and your partner are
using force to remain balanced.
2. Slowly bend your knees. How have you adjusted
the amount of force you are using to remain
balanced and motionless?
3. How would your movement change if one
person used more force than the other?

Unbalanced Forces
Think back to the pencil on your desk. To change the
motion of the pencil, one of the forces has to be greater
than the other, or a new force has to be added. For example,
if you add a force by gently pushing the pencil with your
finger, the pencil will move in the direction of the new force
you added.

To check your
understanding of
balanced and
unbalanced forces,
explain them to a
partner. Use a different
example than the pencil
on a desk.

Pushing force of
desk upward
Pushing force
from finger
Pencil moves in direction
of new force

Pulling force of
gravity downward

When a new force is added, the combined forces are unbalanced

and there is a change in the motion of the pencil.
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Unbalanced forces happen when one of the forces

acting on an object is greater than another force acting

in the opposite direction. When you pushed the pencil
with your finger, the forces acting on the pencil became
unbalanced. The pencil moved because there was no other
force to balance the force you applied with your finger.
The pencil moved in the direction of the greater force.
When the forces acting on an object are unbalanced, the
motion of the object usually changes. The pencil moved
because the forces acting on it were unbalanced. If you
know the size and direction of all the forces acting on an
object, you can predict how an object may move.

Check your
understanding of what
you have just read by
trying to answer the
questions under the
photo. Then read the last
paragraph to see if your
answers were correct.

What forces are acting on this toboggan to keep it sitting at the

top of the hill? How could the forces change? What would happen if
they did?

Think about the forces acting on a toboggan when it is

sitting at the top of a hill. There is the downward force of
gravity and the upward force of the ground. As long as
these forces are equal, the movement of the toboggan will
not change. The toboggan is in equilibrium. If you add
another force, such as the force of using your arms to push
you forward, the toboggan will move forward because the
forces are no longer balanced.

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NEL

1. Write two or three sentences to explain what will happen when

one student joins one of the sides. Use the words equilibrium,
balanced, and unbalanced in your sentences.

2. Tugboats are used to push or pull barges that are loaded with
heavy containers. Draw a sketch with arrows to show how
tugboats and a barge will move in each of the following situations:
Two identical tugboats are pulling a barge upstream together.
Two identical tugboats are pulling a barge in opposite
directions.
One tugboat is more powerful than the other tugboat, and
they are pulling in opposite directions.

Tugboat
Barge

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Ch

apter

Key Idea: A force is a

push or pull that
moves an object or
holds it in place.

Vocabulary
force p. 5

Key Idea: Forces can be

measured with a spring scale.

Vocabulary
weight p. 8

Key Idea: Friction is a force that

slows or stops movement.

Vocabulary
friction p. 10
surface texture
p. 11

Key Idea: Surface texture, slope, and load affect the amount
of force needed to make an object move.

Vocabulary
ramp p. 17
load p. 18

surface texture

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slope

load

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Key Idea: Forces can be combined

to affect the way things move.

Vocabulary
balanced forces
p. 24
equilibrium p. 24
unbalanced
forces p. 26

Review Key Ideas and Vocabulary

Use the vocabulary words in your answers to the questions.
1. What are forces? How do forces affect the way that things move?
2. How can you measure the amount of force that is needed to
pull a toy car toward you?
3. Explain how putting sand on an icy road can help prevent
cars from sliding.
4. Use drawings and words to explain how load, slope, and
surface texture can affect the way the bobsled moves.

5. Use the words balanced forces

and unbalanced forces to
explain why the ball is not
moving. What could change
the motion of the ball?

NEL

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