Forces: Push and Pull
Two students each roll an identical toy car across the same smooth floor. Student A pushes the car harder than Student B. Student A’s car travels farther.
Why did Student A’s car travel farther?
A. Student A used a greater force.
B. Student A used a smaller force.
C. Student A’s car was heavier.
D. Student A’s car was a different color.
A. Student A used a greater force.
A toy car moves back and forth on a track. A student records its direction.
1: Left
2: Left
3: Right
4: Right
5: Left
6: Left
7: Right
8: Right
9: ?
Based on the pattern, which direction will the car most likely move during Observation 9?
A. Left
B. Right
C. It will stop.
D. There is no pattern.
A. Left
A student places magnets on several small toy cars. The student changes which poles of the magnets face each other.
What will happen when opposite poles of two magnets face each other?
A. The magnets will attract each other.
B. The magnets will repel each other.
C. The magnets will stop working.
D. The magnets will become heavier.
A. The magnets will attract each other.
Two teams are playing tug-of-war. Each team pulls on the rope with the same amount of force. The rope does not move.
What type of forces are acting on the rope?
A. Unbalanced forces
B. Balanced forces
C. Magnetic forces
D. Gravitational forces
B. Balanced forces
Liam rubs a balloon on his hair. He then holds the balloon near his hair without touching it. Some of his hair moves toward the balloon.
Which statement shows a cause-and-effect relationship?
A. Liam had a balloon, so the balloon was red.
B. Liam rubbed the balloon on his hair, so his hair was attracted to it.
C. Liam was inside, so the room had windows.
D. The balloon was round, so Liam held it.
B. Liam rubbed the balloon on his hair, so his hair was attracted to it.
Four students are playing tug-of-war. Two students pull to the left with a strong force. The other two students pull to the right with a weaker force.
What will most likely happen to the rope?
A. The rope will move to the right.
B. The rope will move to the left.
C. The rope will move upward.
D. The rope will stay in the same place.
B. The rope will move to the left.
A student watches a toy car move along a track. The car changes direction in a repeating pattern:
Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, ___
What direction will the car most likely move next?
A. Left
B. Right
C. The car will stop.
D. The car will move backward.
A. Left
A class wants to use magnets to keep a cabinet door closed.
They test three designs:
The class wants the door to stay closed when bumped.
Which design would be most likely to keep the door closed?
A. Design A
B. Design B
C. Design C
D. All three designs would work the same way.
B. Design B
A student places a soccer ball on the floor. One student pushes it from the left while another student pushes it from the right with the same amount of force. The ball does not move.
What does this example show?
A. Gravity
B. Unbalanced forces
C. Balanced forces
D. Magnetic force
C. Balanced forces
Four identical toy cars are placed on the same flat surface. Each car is pushed once.
Car Distance Traveled
Car P: 2 meters
Car Q: 5 meters
Car R: 3 meters
Car S: 7 meters
Which car was most likely pushed with the greatest force?
A. Car P
B. Car Q
C. Car R
D. Car S
D. Car S
Which is an example of a pattern?
A: Alphabet
B: Life cycles
C: Random numbers
B: Life cycles
Emma wants to compare the strength of two magnets.
Which investigation would give Emma information about how strong each magnet is?
A. Measure how long each magnet stays in the air.
B. Count how many paper clips each magnet can pick up.
C. Compare the colors of the magnets.
D. Listen to the sound each magnet makes when dropped.
B. Count how many paper clips each magnet can pick up.
Two students are sitting on a see saw. One student has a greater weight. The see saw moves the heavier student to the ground causing the lighter student to move upwards.
What does this example show?
A. Gravity
B. Unbalanced forces
C. Balanced forces
D. Magnetic force
B. Unbalanced forces
A student wants to move a wagon across the playground. She grabs the handle and moves the wagon toward herself.
What type of force is the student using?
A. Push
B. Pull
C. Gravity
D. Magnetism
B. Pull
A marble rolls back and forth inside a curved track. It reaches the right side at these times:
0 seconds, 4 seconds, 8 seconds, 12 seconds
Which statement best describes the marble’s motion?
A. The marble has no pattern.
B. The marble reaches the right side every 4 seconds.
C. The marble will stop after 12 seconds.
D. The marble only moves to the right.
B. The marble reaches the right side every 4 seconds.
Three students test different magnets. Each magnet is placed the same distance from a pile of paper clips.
Which list shows the magnets from weakest to strongest?
A. A, B, C
B. B, A, C
C. C, A, B
D. C, B, A
C. C, A, B
A boy and his sister pull on opposite ends of a rope. The boy pulls harder than his sister, causing the rope to move toward him.
What does this show?
A. The forces are balanced.
B. The forces are unbalanced.
C. There are no forces on the rope.
D. The rope is affected only by gravity.
B. The forces are unbalanced.
Marcus uses his hands to move a box away from his body and across the floor.
What type of force is Marcus using?
A. Pull
B. Balanced force
C. Push
D. Magnetic force
C. Push
A child watches a swing move back and forth. The child notices that the swing returns to the starting side every 5 seconds.
If the pattern continues, how many seconds will it take for the swing to return for the fourth time?
A. 10 seconds
B. 15 seconds
C. 20 seconds
D. 25 seconds
C. 20 seconds
A student moves one magnet closer and closer to another magnet. The student watches to see how the magnets interact.
What question is the student investigating?
A. How does distance affect magnetic force?
B. How does the color of a magnet affect its weight?
C. How does a magnet make light?
D. How does a magnet change shape?
A. How does distance affect magnetic force?
Two students push on opposite sides of a large box. They both push with the same amount of force, and the box stays in the same place.
What does this show?
A. The forces are balanced.
B. The forces are unbalanced.
C. The box has no forces acting on it.
D. The box is moving because of gravity.
A. The forces are balanced.