Law of Inertia
Define Law of Inertia.
The law of inertia, also known as Newton’s first law of motion, states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue in motion with a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a net external force.
Who discovered the Law of Inertia?
The law of inertia was first formulated by Sir Isaac Newton in his book “Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica” (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) in 1687.
What is an Example of the Law of Inertia?
An example of the law of inertia is a ball resting on the ground. The ball will remain at rest unless a force is applied to it, such as someone picking it up or kicking it. Once the ball is in motion, it will continue moving in a straight line at a constant speed unless acted upon by another force, such as friction or gravity.
How does the Law of Inertia Apply on Driving a Car?
The law of inertia applies to driving a car in several ways. For example, when a car is stopped at a red light, it will remain at rest unless the driver applies a force to the gas pedal to accelerate. Similarly, when the car is in motion, it will continue to move forward at a constant speed unless the driver applies the brakes to slow down or stop.
What is the Difference Between Inertia and Mass?
Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. Mass, on the other hand, is a measure of the amount of matter in an object. The more massive an object is, the greater its inertia, meaning it will be more difficult to move or stop.
What is an External Force?
An external force is one that originates from outside an item rather than one that originates from within it. The force of gravity exerted by Earth on the moon, for example, is an external force on the moon.
How does the law of inertia relate to mass?
The inertia of an object, which is its resistance to changes in motion, is directly related to its mass. Objects with greater mass have greater inertia and require more force to change their state of motion.
What are some examples of the law of inertia in everyday life?
Examples of the law of inertia in everyday life include:
- A book resting on a table remains stationary until someone applies a force to move it.
- A ball rolling along a flat surface continues rolling at a constant velocity unless friction or another force slows it down.
Can the law of inertia be violated?
No, the law of inertia is a fundamental principle of classical mechanics and has been extensively verified through experimentation and observation. It applies to all objects in the universe, from the smallest particles to the largest celestial bodies.
Law of Inertia
Law of Inertia is another name for the First Law of Motion given by Sir Isaac Newton. As Law of Inertia has been studied by various scholars, throughout the centuries, and it helped humanity to understand the various concepts of motion in a wide range of fields from aerospace to automobile design.
The origins of the Law of Inertia can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Galileo, who first posited the idea of “natural motion.” But until Sir Isaac Newton redefined the Law of Inertia as the “first law of motion” in the 17th century, it was not widely used by science scholars.
Their Law of Inertia is also called Newton’s First Law of Motion. In this article, we will dive deeper into the concept of the Law of Inertia and other related topics in good detail.
Table of Content
- Inertia Definition
- What is Law of Inertia?
- Galileo’s Free Fall Experiment
- Experiment on Inclined Plane
- Types of Inertia
- Law of Inertia Examples
- Limitations of Law of Inertia
- Sample Questions on Law of Inertia