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Tamil Nadu (TNBSE)Class 3 Science★ 5-6 marks in TN Class 3 Term 1 exams — identifying types of forces, push/pull examples, and short written answers

Force

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 3 Science — Chapter 3, Force. Push, pull and friction in daily life. Study notes, key concepts, worked examples, practice questions and quick revision for exam preparation.

⏱ 10 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Define force as a push or a pull that can make an object move, stop, change speed, or change direction
2Identify everyday actions as push (closing a door, pressing a button) or pull (opening a drawer, lifting a bucket)
3Explain friction: the force that opposes motion — why a ball rolling on grass stops sooner than on a smooth floor
4Understand gravity in simple terms: Earth pulls everything towards it — that is why things fall down, not up
5Give examples of how force can change the shape of an object (squeezing a sponge, stretching a rubber band)

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Why this chapter matters

Force is what makes things move, stop, or change direction. Every push and pull a child makes — opening a door, kicking a ball, lifting a bag — is a force in action. This chapter introduces push and pull as the two basic types of force, explains friction (why a ball rolling on grass stops but on smooth floor goes further), and touches on gravity (why things fall down). It connects abstract physics to the most concrete, everyday experiences of a child.

Force — Class 3 Science (Samacheer Kalvi)

TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 3 Science, Chapter 3. Push, pull and friction in daily life.

1. About this chapter

This chapter covers Force as part of the Class 3 Samacheer Kalvi Science curriculum. It deals with push, pull and friction in daily life and builds conceptual understanding essential for the TN School Term Exam.

By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:

Explain push and pull forces
Describe the effect of friction

2. Key concepts

Concept 1: Explain push and pull forces.
Concept 2: Describe the effect of friction.

3. Important terms and formulas

Term / Formula	Description
Explain push and pull…	Explain push and pull forces
Describe the effect of…	Describe the effect of friction

4. Worked examples

Example 1. Applying a key concept from this chapter.

Solution: Identify the relevant principle → apply the formula or rule → state the answer with correct units.

Example 2. A typical exam-style question on force.

Solution: Break the problem into steps, use the appropriate formula and verify the answer.

5. Common mistakes

Mistake: Skipping units or forgetting to state them. Fix: Always write units alongside every quantity and answer.
Mistake: Confusing similar terms or concepts in this chapter. Fix: Make a comparison table of the terms during revision.

6. Practice (exam-style)

Define the main term or principle covered in Chapter 3.
Give two real-life examples related to force.
Solve a short numerical or descriptive question from this chapter.
State one important formula and explain each symbol.

7. Answer key (hints)

Refer to section 2 (Key concepts) above for the definition.
Examples should be drawn from daily experience and local context.
Apply the formula from section 3, show all steps clearly.
Formula with units — refer to the textbook glossary for symbol meanings.

8. Quick revision

Class 3 Science — Chapter 3: Force.
Core idea: Push, pull and friction in daily life.
Key outcomes: Explain push and pull forces; Describe the effect of friction.
Always revise diagrams / tables from the Samacheer Kalvi textbook before the exam.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Push and Pull

Push → force applied to move an object AWAY from you. Examples: pushing a door to close it, pushing a shopping cart, pressing a keyboard key, kicking a football. Pull → force applied to move an object TOWARDS you. Examples: pulling a door to open it, pulling a drawer out, lifting a water bucket from a well, dragging a suitcase.

Some actions involve both push AND pull. Writing with a pencil: you push it forward and pull it back. Riding a bicycle: pushing the pedals down, pulling the handlebars to turn.

Friction

Friction is the force that opposes (resists) motion between two surfaces in contact. Rough surfaces (grass, carpet, sand) → more friction → objects slow down quickly. Smooth surfaces (ice, polished floor, glass) → less friction → objects slide easily.

Friction is both a friend and a foe. Without friction, you could not walk (your feet would slip), write (pencil would slide), or stop a bicycle (brakes use friction). But friction also wears out shoes and tyres.

Gravity

Gravity is the force by which the Earth pulls everything towards its centre. Throw a ball up — it comes back down because of gravity. Rain falls down, not up. Apple falls from tree — gravity. Gravity keeps us on the ground and stops us from floating into space.

The Moon also has gravity, but only 1/6th of Earth's. If you weigh 30 kg on Earth, you would weigh only 5 kg on the Moon — and you could jump 6 times higher!

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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Confusing mass and weight

✓ Mass is the amount of matter (stays same everywhere). Weight is the pull of gravity on that mass (changes from planet to planet). At Class 3 level, just know that weight comes from gravity pulling on mass.

WATCH OUT

✗ Thinking friction is always bad

✓ Friction helps us walk, write, hold objects, and stop vehicles. Without friction, you could not even pick up a glass of water — it would slip right out of your hand.

WATCH OUT

✗ Saying 'force makes things move' but forgetting force can also stop things

✓ Force can START motion, STOP motion, CHANGE speed, or CHANGE direction. Catching a ball applies force to stop it. A goalkeeper diving applies force to change the ball's direction.

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