Newton's First Law

Newton’s First Law:

If the resultant force acting on an object is zero and:

• the object is stationary, the object remains stationary
• the object is moving, the object continues to move at the same speed and in the same direction. So the object continues to move at the same velocity.

So, when a vehicle travels at a steady speed the resistive forces balance the driving force.

So, the velocity (speed and/or direction) of an object will only change if a resultant force is acting on the object.

Students should be able to apply Newton’s First Law to explain the motion of objects moving with a uniform velocity and objects where the speed and/or direction changes.

(HT only) The tendency of objects to continue in their state of rest or of uniform motion is called inertia.