Chapter 2.1: Newton's First Law

Vocabulary flashcards covering Newton's First Law, mass, inertia, force, and units of force based on Chapter 2.1 lecture notes.

Sir Isaac Newton

An English physicist and mathematician ($1642-1727$) who invented calculus before age $30$ and formulated the three fundamental laws of motion.

Force

A push or pull, or any action that has the ability to change motion.

Newton's first law

The principle stating that an object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will continue in motion with the same speed and direction UNLESS acted on by a force.

Inertia

The intrinsic property of an object that resists changes in its motion.

Newton (N)

The metric unit of force, defined as the exact amount of force needed to cause a mass of $1\,\text{kg}$ to speed up by $1\,\text{m/sec}$ each second ($1\,\text{m/sec}^2$).

Net force

The combined total of all forces acting on an object.

Mass

The measure of matter from which inertia comes, standardly measured in kilograms ($\text{kg}$); objects with more mass have more inertia and resist changes in motion.

Pound (lb)

A unit of force commonly used in the United States, defined as the force exerted by gravity on a mass of $0.454\,\text{kg}$.

Libra

The Roman unit meaning "balance," which serves as the origin for the abbreviation "lb" for pound.

Pondus

The Latin word meaning "weight," from which the English word "pound" derives.

Gram (g)

A metric unit of mass equal to one-thousandth of a kilogram ($1\,\text{g} = 0.001\,\text{kg}$).

Pound to Newton conversion

The conversion standard where one pound of force equals $4.448\,\text{N}$ ($1\,\text{lb} = 4.448\,\text{N}$).