Newton's First Law of Motion

Newton's first law of motion, also known as the law of inertia, states that 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.

Key Concepts:

1. Inertia: Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist a change in its state of motion. An object with more mass has more inertia.
2. Unbalanced Force: When the forces acting on an object are not equal, there is an unbalanced force, which causes a change in the object's motion.

Real-life Examples:

• A book resting on a table remains at rest until someone applies a force to move it.
• A moving car continues to move forward even after the engine is turned off, until friction and air resistance slow it down.

Study Guide:

To understand and apply Newton's first law of motion, consider the following questions:

1. What is inertia and how does it relate to the first law of motion?
2. Give an example of an object in motion that stays in motion due to inertia.
3. Explain how unbalanced forces are related to changes in an object's motion.
4. Discuss the implications of Newton's first law in everyday scenarios, such as driving a car or playing sports.

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