Chapter 3 – Newton’s 1st Law Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards focusing on Newton's First Law, mass, weight, friction, inertia, and historical views on motion based on Chapter 3.

Inertia

The tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion (wants to keep doing what it is doing).

Force

A push or a pull on an object.

Mass

The amount of matter inside an object, measured in kilograms. It measures inertia and does not change when going to a new place.

Weight

The pull of gravity on an object, measured in newtons.

Friction

A force that slows down objects when they rub against each other.

Revolves

Moves around something in a circle or oval path.

Equal

Exactly the same size, amount, or value.

Law of Inertia

States that an object will stay still or keep moving in a straight line unless a force stops, pushes, or changes it.

Aristotle's Idea of Motion

The belief that motion happens because objects want to go to their natural place and stop.

Copernicus's Idea of Motion

The assertion that Earth revolves (moves around) the sun, which most people rejected during his lifetime.

Galileo's Concept of Motion

The idea that without friction, zero force is needed to keep an object moving.

Weight Formula

Calculated as $\text{Weight} = \text{mass} \times \text{gravity}$; for example, a $2\text{ kg}$ mass on Earth has a weight of approximately $20\text{ N}$ ($2\text{ kg} \times 10\text{ m/s}^2 \times \text{gravity} \rightarrow 20\text{ N}$).