Work (physics)

In science, 'work' means making something move a distance when you push or pull it. Imagine pushing a toy car across the floor. You are doing work! If you just hold a heavy box, even if your muscles feel tired, you're not doing scientific work because the box isn't moving. So, work happens when a force causes movement.

To do work, you need a force, which is a push or a pull. You also need that force to make something move. Think about kicking a soccer ball. Your foot (the force) makes the ball move. That's work! If you try to push a giant rock but it doesn't budge, no work is done. The force needs to cause movement over a distance.

Doing work is how we move things around! When you ride your bike, your legs push the pedals, doing work to make the wheels turn and move you forward. When a crane lifts heavy bricks to build a tall building, it's doing a lot of work. Work helps us build, play, and explore our world by changing where things are.

You do work when you pull a wagon. A car does work when its engine makes the wheels spin to drive down the road. Even a tiny ant does work when it carries a crumb bigger than itself! Work is happening all around us, from the smallest things to the biggest machines, whenever a force makes something move.