Newton's First Law — The Law of Inertia
Part of Newton's Laws of Motion — GCSE Physics
This key facts covers Newton's First Law — The Law of Inertia within Newton's Laws of Motion for GCSE Physics. Revise Newton's Laws of Motion in Forces for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 2 of 15 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 2 of 15
Practice
13 questions
Recall
15 flashcards
📜 Newton's First Law — The Law of Inertia
Statement: An object remains at rest or continues moving at constant velocity unless acted upon by a resultant force.
What this means:
- Stationary objects stay stationary
- Moving objects keep moving in a straight line at constant speed
- Objects don't "naturally slow down" — they slow due to friction/air resistance
- Inertia = resistance to change in motion (depends on mass)
Keep building this topic
Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Newton's Laws of Motion. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.
Practice Questions for Newton's Laws of Motion
According to Newton's First Law, what happens to an object when there is no resultant force acting on it?
A spaceship is travelling through deep space far from any planets. The engines are switched off. Explain what will happen to the motion of the spaceship and why.
Quick Recall Flashcards
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