by Maeve S.
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In Newton's First law, also known as Newton's Law of Intertia, or resistance to change its state of motion. Simplified, it means an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion until a force is acted upon it. Even simpler, objects just keep on doing what they're doing until something, some force, changes them. A force is a push or a pull on an object. When an object is at rest, or not moving, it is at equilibruim. If an object is at equilibrium it's either not moving or it is traveling at a constant velocity. Constant velocity is when you're not accelerating and traveling at the same speed.

When an object is at equilibrium two things are occuring. Either, the two forces acting upon the object are equally applied or the only force is gravity. Here is an common example of Newton's First Law in action. If you're accelerate a car from 0 mph, or rest, the road creates an 'unbalanced force' and the spinning wheels push you forward. Another example is when you get into a car crash and you're spinning out of control, the headrest keeps your head from continuing forward with the motion of the car before the crash.

 

 

 

 

 

Website Creator's Voice:

 

 

 

 

Let's imagine in this picture, you are driving at 45 mph and suddenly stop your body will continue at 45 mph until something stops it like a seat belt, but in this one there is no seat belt and the dummy was sent through the windsheild.

In this animation the skater is skateboarding down the road. What do you think will happen when he hits the rock?

 

 

He will fly foward and get injured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the forces acting on an object, the ball, at rest.