Newton's First Law

Front

What is inertia?

Back

Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. It is directly related to the mass of the object.

Front

What does Newton's First Law state?

Back

Newton's First Law states that an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Front

What is an unbalanced force?

Back

An unbalanced force is a force that causes an object to change its state of motion, either by accelerating, decelerating, or changing direction.

Front

What is a balanced force?

Back

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

Front

How does mass affect inertia?

Back

The greater the mass of an object, the greater its inertia, meaning it will be harder to change its state of motion.

Front

Can an object have inertia if it is not moving?

Back

Yes, all objects with mass have inertia, regardless of whether they are at rest or in motion.

Front

What happens to an object in motion when no forces act on it?

Back

An object in motion will continue to move at a constant speed in a straight line.

Front

Give an example of Newton's First Law in everyday life.

Back

A passenger in a car lurches forward when the car suddenly stops; this is due to inertia.

Front

What is the relationship between acceleration and unbalanced forces?

Back

An unbalanced force acting on an object will cause it to accelerate in the direction of the net force.

Front

What is the net force?

Back

The net force is the total force acting on an object after all the individual forces are combined.