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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  039  10 09 08 07 06 05
What Is Motion? ........................ ........................ 2

What Causes Motion? .................. ........................ 4

Opposing Forces................................................. 6

Forces All Around Us ........................................... 8

What Is Friction?................................................. 10

What Is Gravity? ......................... ........................ 12

The Difference Distance Makes ............................... 14

Glossary. . . . . . ............................. ........................ 16









 






 









 








 What Is Motion?
A race car zooms around a track. A leaf slowly falls to the ground.
Our planet revolves around the sun. All of these are examples of
motion. Motion is a change in position.
Sometimes it’s easy to see a change
in position. As you walk by a tree, you Did you know that you’re
can see your position relative to the always moving? If you sit very
tree changing. But say you’re driving still, it may seem as if you’re
down the highway and the car in the not moving at all, because
lane next to you is going the same you’re not changing positions
speed. Your positions might not be relative to the things in front
changing relative to each other. How of you. In fact, you are
do you know you’re moving? You can spinning in space along with
tell by looking at something on the planet Earth.
side of the road.

This train reaches

speeds of more than
480 km (300 mi)
per hour.


 This car is traveling at a
constant speed, but as it
turns, its velocity changes.

Velocity is the speed of an object and the direction it’s moving. For
example, if your car is traveling 80 km/hr (48 mi/hr), you are stating
its speed. If you say your car is going south at 80 km/hr (48 mi/hr),
you’re describing its velocity.
An object’s velocity changes when its speed or direction changes.
If a car driving down the highway speeds up, slows down, or turns, its
velocity changes.
MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS  If we know an object’s velocity, what
have we learned?


 What Causes Motion?
What makes a door open? Any motion is caused by a force. A force
is a push or a pull. When you close a window or pull out a chair, you
are using force.
Forces act on objects. Any time an object slows down, speeds up,
stops, or turns, a force has acted on it. When there is a change in
velocity, force is at work.
When an object changes its velocity, it’s called acceleration.
Acceleration is the rate of an object’s change in velocity. Say your car
is stopped at a stoplight, facing north. The light turns green and your
car reaches a velocity of 30 km/hr (18 mi/hr) north in 10 seconds.
Your acceleration is
30 km/hr (18 mi/hr)
per 10 seconds, or
3 km/hr (1.8 mi/hr) per
second. Acceleration
also happens when
you stop at a red light,
because your velocity
has changed.
Inertia is the
tendency of matter
to resist a change in
motion. An object will
stay in motion or at
rest until it is acted
upon by an outside
force. A ball won’t
move until you kick it.

The motion of these

trees is caused by the
force of the wind.

 Nature is in constant motion.
Continents move, ocean tides
go in and out, and volcanoes
explode. Different forces
cause these motions.

Acceleration changes depending on the amount of force used and

the mass of the object. If you lightly tap a soccer ball with your foot, it
will barely move. But if you kick a soccer ball with all your might, it will
fly across the field. The greater the force on an object, the greater the
acceleration.
If you tried to kick a bowling ball with all your might, the bowling
ball wouldn’t go very far. You used the same force, but the bowling
ball has greater mass. If two objects are acted on by the same force,
the object with greater mass will accelerate less than the object with
smaller mass. You can describe the relationship between force, mass,
and acceleration with this equation:
force = mass × acceleration
MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS  You ride your bike faster and faster
down a hill. At the bottom, you slow down and stop. When were
you accelerating?


 Opposing Forces
You kick a soccer ball. It arches up in the air and falls back down
and bounces across the field. Your muscles applied one force to the
ball, but this wasn’t the only force at work. The force of gravity pulled
it back down to the ground. Usually there’s more than one force acting
on an object. These forces can work together, work against each other,
or balance each other out.
Imagine you and a friend are playing tug-of-war. You’re both
pulling in opposite directions and using the same amount of force. The
rope doesn’t move because the forces cancel one another. This is an
example of balanced forces. Balanced
forces are equal forces that act in
opposite directions and cancel
one another out. When
forces are balanced, an
object does not move,
speed up, or slow
down. If the object
is already moving,
balanced forces
won’t change its
speed or direction.

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6
The force from the wrecking
ball is greater than other forces
acting on the wall. This is an
example of unbalanced forces.

Now suppose you suddenly let go of the rope. The forces are no
longer equal, so your friend falls backward. Forces that do not cancel
one another are called unbalanced forces. When unbalanced forces
act on an object, the object’s velocity changes.
You can find examples of balanced and unbalanced forces all
around you. Balanced forces are acting on a soccer ball sitting on the
ground. Unbalanced forces are acting on a soccer ball that is kicked
into the goal.
Forces can also work together. Imagine you are trying to push a full
grocery cart on your own. Then a friend comes along and helps push.
If you’re both applying force on the cart in the same direction, the cart
will accelerate.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST  How can you tell if balanced forces or
unbalanced forces are acting on an object?


 Forces All Around Us
There are many kinds of forces in our world, pushing and pulling
objects around us. You apply force with your muscles every time you
move. You pull open the refrigerator door to get juice in the morning.
You push on the ground when you walk into school.
You can’t control some of these forces. Gravity is an important
force that keeps everything on the planet from floating away. Gravity
is a powerful force, but there are forces that work against it.
For example, why does a boat float instead of getting pulled down
into the water by the force of gravity? Some things can float because
of buoyant force. This force pushes upward on objects in a fluid to
oppose gravity. Another force that can oppose gravity is air resistance.
When an open parachute floats to the ground, air resistance pushes
upward. This force keeps the person from falling too quickly.

Buoyant force keeps

this boat afloat in
opposition to gravity.


This train moves by electric
and magnetic forces.

The electric force acts

between objects with an electric
Did you know that tiny
charge. An object can have a
insects can walk on water?
positive charge or a negative
They can do this because a
charge. Objects with the same
force called surface tension
charge push apart from, or repel,
supports the small insect.
each other. Objects with different
Surface tension creates a thin
charges attract each other.
“skin” on the surface of
You could say “opposites
attract” with another force, too.
This is magnetic force. Magnets have different north poles and south
poles. Like electric charges, opposite poles are pulled together, and
like poles are pushed apart.
CAUSE AND EFFECT  When a leaf is slowly falling from a tree, what
forces are affecting its fall?


 What Is Friction?
You’ve learned how some forces can act against motion. For
example, air resistance can work against gravity to slow an object’s fall.
Another important force that opposes motion is friction. Friction is a
force that causes objects that touch each other to slow down or stop.
Friction can be a very helpful force. In fact, you can walk because
there’s friction between your feet and the floor. Your foot pushes on
the ground, and the friction between your foot and the ground keeps
your foot from slipping out from under you. You probably have some
shoes that provide more friction than others. Sneakers have rubber
soles that produce a lot of friction. Dress shoes have smooth soles that
provide less friction.
Friction is also at work when
you ride your bike. Friction
between the wheel and
the road keeps you from
slipping. Friction
between the brake
pads and the
wheels helps
you slow down
and stop.

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10
 Sometimes it’s helpful to
reduce friction. For example,
a thin film of water reduces the
friction between an ice skater
and the ice. Because friction is
reduced, the skater can easily
glide across the ice. Inline skates
also reduce friction in different
ways. It’s easy to see how the
wheels cut down on friction.
Imagine how difficult it would
be to “slide” down the street
without any wheels. Tiny ball
bearings inside the wheels also
reduce friction. These smooth
balls provide a surface for the
wheels to roll against.
Oil and grease also help
reduce friction. They’re often
used on machine parts to reduce
the friction as the parts move
against each other. This helps the
parts last longer.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST 
How do rubber soles on
basketball sneakers and
grease on machine parts
affect friction? How can
both be helpful?

A coat of wax on the bottom

of the skis helps reduce the
friction with the snow.

11
 What Is Gravity?
There’s one force that’s always with you, whether you’re riding
a bike, jumping, or sleeping in your bed. This is gravitational force.
Gravitational force is the force that acts between any two masses in
the universe and pulls them toward each other. When you think of
gravitational force, you usually think of the force that pulls everything
around you toward the center of Earth. This force is often called gravity.
Gravitational force acts between any two masses. There’s a
gravitational force between two pencils sitting on your desk, between
you and the wall, and between the trees outside. The force is so small
you don’t notice it.
This force is different from the force you use to push open a door or
the force of friction. These forces require two objects to touch.
Gravitational force acts through empty space. For example, gravitational
force pulls the moon toward Earth even though there’s no physical
contact between them.

Gravity keeps oceans on the

surface of Earth. It also keeps
the planet’s atmosphere from
escaping into space.

12
 Gravity keeps the sun
and planets in our solar
system in place. There’s
gravitational force
between all the planets.
However, the sun is so
massive that there’s a
much greater force
between the planets and
the sun. That force keeps
the planets in orbit
around the sun.

Some gravitational forces

are very strong, such as the
force that pulls the oceans to
Earth’s surface. Gravitational
forces can also be very weak,
such as the force between two
pencils sitting on a desk. One
factor in gravitational force is These apples were
pulled to the ground
mass. The more massive by the force of gravity.
objects are, the stronger the
gravitational force. Earth’s mass
is huge, so the attraction between Earth and everything on its surface is
very strong. On the other hand, the mass of two pencils is tiny, so the
attraction between them is very weak.
CAUSE AND EFFECT  How does the mass of two objects affect the
gravitational force between them?

13
 The Difference Distance Makes
You just learned that gravitational force is affected by the mass of
objects. Distance also affects gravitational force. The more distance
there is between two masses, the weaker the force. If you move two
bowling balls apart, you decrease the force between them.
Distance also affects magnetic force and electric force. If you hold
a magnet a few inches away from your refrigerator, you might not feel
any pull. As you move the magnet closer, you’ll feel the pull become
stronger. You can give a balloon a negative electric charge by rubbing
it with wool. If you hold that balloon apart from a balloon without a
charge, nothing will happen. But as you bring the balloons closer,
you’ll feel them pull toward each other.
CAUSE AND EFFECT  If you move two objects closer together,
how is the gravitational force between them affected?

The sun is much more massive than

Earth. People are not pulled toward
the sun because they’re much closer
to Earth’s center.

14
Both the bowling ball and
the pins are going through
a change in velocity.

Summary
When something moves, it changes position. One way to describe
an object’s motion is its speed. An object’s velocity is its speed and the
direction it is moving. A change in an object’s velocity is caused by a
force. When a force acts on an object, the object may slow down,
speed up, stop, or change directions. A change in velocity is called
acceleration. Acceleration is affected by an object’s mass and the force
used on the object.
There is often more than one force acting on an object. If equal
forces work in opposite directions, they are balanced forces.
Unbalanced forces cause an object to change its velocity. There are
many forces acting on objects in our world, including friction and
gravity. Friction between objects works against motion. Gravity is the
attraction between two objects, such as Earth and the moon.
15
 Glossary
acceleration  (ak•sel•er•ay•shuhn)  A change in velocity divided by the
time it takes for that change to occur (4, 5, 15)

balanced forces  (bal•uhnst fawrs•iz)  Equal forces that act in opposite

directions and cancel one another out (6, 7, 15)

force  (fawrs)  A push or a pull (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15)

friction  (frik•shuhn)  A force that acts between any two surfaces in

contact with one another by preventing or slowing motion (10, 11,
12, 15)

gravitational force  (grav•ih•tay•shuhn•uhl fawrs)  The force that acts

between any two masses in the universe and pulls them toward one
another (12, 13, 14, 15)

unbalanced forces  (uhn•bal•uhnst fawrs•iz)  Forces that do not cancel

one another out (7, 15)

velocity  (vuh•lahs•uh•tee)  The speed and direction of a moving

object (3, 4, 7, 15)

16
Think and Write
1. How do you know an unbalanced force has acted on an
object?
2. MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS  A car is traveling up a circular
ramp at a constant speed. Is the car changing velocity? Why
or why not?
3. COMPARE AND CONTRAST  Which has a stronger
gravitational force, Earth or the planet Jupiter, the most
massive planet in the solar system? Why aren’t you pulled
toward Jupiter?
4. Narrative Writing  Imagine you are watching a sporting
event in which the players want to reduce friction, increase
friction, or both. Write a journal entry about how friction can
help or hinder the players.

Hands-On Activity
Use a basketball, a tennis ball, and a ramp to design and conduct a
simple investigation to show that
• a greater force acting on an object provides greater
acceleration.
• if the same force acts on two different objects, the object
with the greater mass will accelerate less than the object with
smaller mass.

School-Home Connection
Tell a family member what you’ve learned about forces and motion.
Tell how you know something has moved and what causes motion.
Take a walk together and look for examples of motion. What are some
forces in the world around you?