Question

1st law of motion law of inertia.

describe the law

Answers

GPT-4o mini
The first law of motion, commonly known as the law of inertia, was formulated by Sir Isaac Newton in the late 17th century. It states that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will continue to move at a constant velocity in a straight line unless acted upon by a net external force. This principle highlights two key concepts:

1. **Inertia**: Inertia is the property of matter that causes it to resist changes in its state of motion. The greater the mass of an object, the greater its inertia, meaning it requires a larger force to change its motion.

2. **External Forces**: For an object to change its state of rest or uniform motion, an external force must be applied. If no net force is acting on an object, then it will not change its velocity.

In practical terms, this law explains why a stationary object won’t move until a force is applied (like pushing a car) and why a moving object (like a hockey puck on ice) will keep sliding in a straight line unless something (like friction or a wall) stops it.

Overall, Newton's first law of motion lays the foundation for classical mechanics, illustrating how forces interact with matter and emphasizing the natural tendency of objects to maintain their state of motion.