Newton's First Law Practice Problems

Front

What is Newton's First Law of Motion?

Back

An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Front

What is inertia?

Back

Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion.

Front

How does mass affect inertia?

Back

Objects with greater mass have greater inertia, meaning they are harder to start or stop moving.

Front

What is a balanced force?

Back

Balanced forces are equal in size and opposite in direction, resulting in no change in motion.

Front

What is an unbalanced force?

Back

Unbalanced forces are not equal and can cause an object to accelerate, decelerate, or change direction.

Front

What happens to an object when the net force is zero?

Back

The object remains in its current state of motion, either at rest or moving at a constant velocity.

Front

What is the net force?

Back

The net force is the vector sum of all the forces acting on an object.

Front

If a car is drifting, what type of forces are acting on it?

Back

The forces acting on the car are unbalanced.

Front

What does it mean if an object is in equilibrium?

Back

An object is in equilibrium when the net force acting on it is zero, resulting in no acceleration.

Front

Can Newton's First Law apply to objects that are not moving?

Back

Yes, Newton's First Law applies to both moving and nonmoving objects.