Why are heavy shopping carts much harder to turn than they are to push forward?
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When you’re pushing straight ahead, you’re only working against the inertia of the cart (its resistance to change in speed). When you’re changing direction, you’re also working partially against its momentum (the force of its current motion). Most other things on wheels have at least some that don’t swivel freely, and can transfer momentum to the ground for free.
Edit: also, many use the wrong technique by trying to turn them like a car. The most efficient way is to actually twist the entire cart more than you want it to turn, and start pushing straight on it until you’ve achieved the desired direction. Then you turn it to point in the actual direction of travel again, and push straight. If you’ve ever played Asteroids, it’s the same technique you use for steering the space ship.
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