As shown in the picture below, when you push or pull a box, you apply a force to the box. So, a force can be defined as a push or a pull.

When you push (or pull) a box, you can do it hard or gentle. The measurement of how much force you applied is called the magnitude of a force.

When we describe a force, we need to mention the amount of the force.

The unit of forces is called the newton, and it has the symbol N.

For example, take a look at the picture below, in which a person pushes a rock. How can you describe the force applied to the rock in this case?

An answer could be: the person pushes the rock to the right, and the magnitude of the force is 150 newton. Or you could describe it as: 150 N acting to the right.