Newton’s First Law of motion

Newton’s First Law

According to Newton’s first law of motion, if a body is stationary or moving at a consistent speed, it will continue to do so until an external force acts upon it. In classical Newtonian physics, there is no significant difference between rest and uniform motion in a straight line. Therefore, they can be viewed as the same state of motion by observers travelling at the same velocity. This principle is also known as the law of inertia.

Throughout the 20th century, Newtonian physics was supplanted by quantum mechanics & relativity. On the other hand, Newton’s laws continue to accurately describe nature, except for tiny and fast-moving objects like electrons. Newton’s first law is one of the three laws of motion. Newton’s second law of motion and Newton’s third law of motion are the other two laws of motion.

Galilei René Descartes elaborated on Galileo Galilei’s original law of Inertia for horizontal motion on Earth. Inertia is the starting point and primary assumption of classical mechanics. In Aristotelian mechanics and in everyday life, things that aren’t being moved tend to stay where they are. It was Galileo who came up with the law of inertia based on his experiments with balls sliding down steep slopes.

Clauses and Conditions of Newton’s First Law

The best way to describe the behaviour of all objects is as follows: It is common for entities to “continue doing what they have been doing” (unless acted upon by an unbalanced force). 

The object’s motion will continue if it is not subjected to an uneven force. It is difficult to change the state of activity of all things since they tend to “keep on doing what they’re doing.”

The condition must be met for the first law to apply to any motion. The phrase “unless operated upon by an unbalanced force” explains the situation. When forces are balanced, Newton’s first law of motion states that activity will continue as long as the forces are not out of balance.

External force

It is the change in the mechanical energy of an object, either kinetic or potential, that is the definition of an external force. External factors are the reason for these forces. Friction, normal force, and air resistance are all examples of external forces.

Explanation of Newton’s First Law with Example

Walking around an oval track while entirely filling a baking dish with water and attempting to complete a lap in the least period of time is achievable. The water would flow out of the container at various points along the track. In general, water flowed from the container, when:

1. You attempted to move the container while it was resting.
2. You tried to stop the container while it was moving.
3. You tried to change the direction of the container while it was travelling oppositely.

When the container’s motion is altered, the water leaks out. This alteration was resisted due to the water’s own state of motion. It was common for water to “continue doing what it was doing.” At the starting line, the container was accelerated from rest to a high speed, but the water remained stationary and sprayed upon the table. Water continued to pour within the container and spilled out the front until the container came to a stop at the finish line. Water escaped from the container’s edge for some reason, despite the fact that it was being pushed in an unanticipated direction to navigate a curve. Newton’s first law of motion can be used to explain the water’s behaviour during a lap around the track.

Application of Newton’s First Law

More uses for Newton’s first law of motion can be found. Listed below are a few possible options. For example, you may explain how inertia works in each situation.

1. The blood rushes from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet as the elevator descends.
2. Banging the base of the handle against a solid floor can help secure the hammer’s head to the handle. It is common practice to turn a ketchup bottle upside down, shove it down at high speed, and then stop it quickly to remove ketchup from the bottom.
3. Rear-end collisions can cause whiplash if the car has no head restraints.
4. When a skateboarder hits a curb, a rock, or anything else that rapidly stops the skateboard’s motion, they fly forward off the board.
5. Have you ever experienced inertia while driving a car? The unbalanced force is given by the road force on locked wheels, but there is no unbalanced force with which you can alter your state of motion. You keep moving forward while sliding along the seat. A seat belt’s imbalanced force may lead a driver to lose control of their car and come to a complete halt. Yes! Seat belts are used to protect riders whose movements are governed by Newton’s laws. The seat belt applies an unbalanced force to your body during a car trip.

Conclusion

Newton’s First Law states that if an object’s net force is zero, the entity will have zero acceleration. This does not necessarily imply that the item is at rest, but it does indicate that the velocity is constant. In other words, regular zero rates refer to being at rest, whereas continuous non-zero velocity refers to travelling at a constant speed. A force of push or pull is imposed on one item by another.