This foundational principle establishes the concept of inertia. It dictates that a mass will not accelerate, decelerate, or change direction without a physical push or pull overcoming its current state. Engineers use it to calculate static equilibrium in structures and to understand the baseline forces required to initiate movement in a mechanism.
Heard on the job
Assuming constant velocity, Newton's first law tells us the net force on the carriage is zero.
Also heard as
- law of inertia
Related terms
Newton's second law
The principle that the force applied to a body equals its mass multiplied by its acceleration.
Newton's third law
The principle that every action force generates an equal and opposite reaction force.
Newtonian mechanics
The branch of physics that describes the motion of macroscopic bodies under the influence of forces.