Inertia : Definition, Types, and Examples

Inertia

The law of inertia by sir Isaac Newton is one of the most important laws of physics. The law of inertia is "An element will continue to be in a state of rest or if it is moving, the state of motion will continue until an external force act on it."

There are different types of inertia.

1. The inertia of rest,
2. The inertia of direction
3. The inertia of motion

When a body is at rest, it will stay at rest until a force act on the body in any direction. If the body is in motion, it will continue to move in the same direction until a force is applied to the body.

Some examples of inertia are: when a lift starts suddenly. When the bus starts, we have a tendency to move back. When a lift starts to operate suddenly, we feel a jerk. People tend to move forward when a brake is applied to the vehicle.

Newton's first law is the law of inertia.