WHAT is force? We know the physical applications of a force but WHAT is it?
In: Physics
A force is something that pushes or pulls on an object and makes it move.
If you have a wagon [like this](https://www.radioflyer.com/media/catalog/product/cache/6fc979677405d10321ecd57e3744ab8a/b/i/big-red-classic-atw-inset-storage-model-1800_1.jpg), grab the handle and start walking, the force is the “oomph” you’re putting in to make the wagon start rolling.
Technically, a force can only *change* the motion of a thing, making it speed up, slow down, and/or change direction. Once the wagon’s rolling, it will keep going until something pushes it backwards to stop it.
(If you actually try this with a wagon, you’ll see the wagon will eventually stop. That’s because the air and the ground push backward on the wagon a little bit as it travels, and also the parts that turn stick very slightly to the parts that don’t, even if they’ve been well oiled. Usually scientists think of these small backward pushes together as being caused by a single backward-pushing force labeled “friction.”)
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