(FOM) Newton's 1st Law of Motion Lesson

Newton's 1st Law of Motion

To introduce the concepts of Newton's 1^st Law, watch the following video created by the European Space Agency. By watching the video you will learn what Newton's 1^st Law states as well as see many examples of Newton's 1^st Law in action.

Newton's 1^st Law of Motion states that an object at rest will stay at rest unless it is acted upon by an unbalanced force. An object in motion will continue to move in the same direction and with the same speed unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. This law is often referred to as the Law of Inertia. Inertia is the tendency of an object to either stay at rest or to stay in motion.

You have experienced Newton's 1^st Law many times in your lifetime.  A good example is why we wear seat belts. What happens when you are driving down the road and then you have to slam on the brakes? Your body lurches forward. Why is this?  It's because of inertia.  Your body is in motion within the car in motion.   When the brakes (an unbalanced force) are applied to the car, the car stops but your body wants to stay in motion.  You need something applied to your body to stop the motion just as the brakes stop the car. Seatbelts safely provide an outside force that can stop or slow down your body when the car stops or slows down.

For more explanation and application examples of Newton's 1^st Law, view the following interactive activity.

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