Which of the following statements best describes inertia?
Inertia depends on the size of an object.
Inertia is proportional to speed.
Inertia is a vector quantity.
Inertia is a resistance to change in motion.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is: Inertia is a resistance to change in motion.
Explanation:
Inertia is a fundamental concept in physics that describes an object’s resistance to any change in its state of motion. It is not dependent on the direction of motion, nor on the speed at which an object is moving, but rather on its mass. The greater an object’s mass, the greater its inertia, meaning that more force is required to change its velocity (either by speeding it up, slowing it down, or changing its direction).
Inertia is not a vector quantity; it does not have a direction but only a magnitude, which is related to mass. It simply refers to the object’s tendency to resist changes in its motion. For example, if you’re in a car that suddenly accelerates, your body resists that change in motion because of inertia, causing you to feel a jolt.
When you apply force to an object, the amount of inertia it has determines how much the object will accelerate. This is directly described by Newton’s first law of motion, which states that “an object will remain at rest, or continue to move at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an external force.” The inertia of an object resists the application of this force, thus preventing an instantaneous change in motion.
In simpler terms, inertia is just a measure of how hard it is to change an object’s motion. More mass means more inertia, and therefore, more effort is required to change the object’s motion (such as stopping or changing its direction).
Image Explanation:
Here is an illustration demonstrating the concept of inertia. It shows a person in a car being pushed back against the seat as the car suddenly accelerates, visually representing the resistance to change in motion due to inertia. The motion blur and the person’s posture emphasize how inertia affects movement.