3A: Newton's First Law

These flashcards cover key concepts related to Newton's Laws and forces as discussed in the lecture notes.

Newton's 1st Law

An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by a force.

Inertia

The tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion.

Net Force

The vector sum of all forces acting on an object.

Mechanical Equilibrium

A state where the net force is zero, meaning the object is at rest or moving with constant speed.

Contact Force

A force that requires physical contact to occur, such as friction, tension, and normal force.

Non-Contact Force

A force that acts at a distance without physical contact, such as gravity.

Unbalanced Force

A situation in which the net force acting on an object is not zero, resulting in acceleration.

Balanced Forces

When the net force acting on an object is zero, resulting in no change in motion.

Free-Body Diagram (FBD)

A diagram that shows all the individual forces acting upon an object.

Frictional Force

The force that opposes the relative motion of two surfaces in contact.