Push or pull?

[carltonblues]

Would it be easier to push or pull a snow sleigh?

(no rope!)

[Andrew Mason]

Would it be easier to push or pull a snow sleigh?

(no rope!)It depends on what you mean by 'easier'. It also depends on how you push or pull.

If by 'easier' you mean 'less work' to push or pull a snow sleigh the same distance using purely horizontal force, the answer is: the work is the same whether you push or pull.

In practice, pulling is less work because the pulling force is a little upward whereas the pushing force is usually horizontal or downward. This affects the normal force and the friction that the puller or pusher has to work against.

AM