Concept in Definition ABC
Miscellanea / / July 04, 2021
By Javier Navarro, in Oct. 2017
Inertia is the ability of a body to overcome movement. Thus, when a vehicle moves, everything inside it moves to the same velocity. However, if the vehicle suddenly stops, everything in it will continue to move in the direction the vehicle was initially going. This is due to inertia.
The law of inertia and Newton's principles to explain motion
Is law, also known as Newton's first law, states that every body tends to maintain its state of rest or continuous motion, unless there is a force that forces you to change your status. Thus, the sum of forces must be equal to 0 for a body to be in Balance or with constant speed.
Newton's first law explains the tendency of bodies to maintain their state. If not for some external object, the objects would remain at rest or in uniform rectilinear motion. Consequently, inertia is the resistance to the change of motion that bodies present.
With the law of inertia Newton explained some of the movements that exist. With a second law, this scientist explained other types of movements. In this way, an object acted upon by an unbalanced force will accelerate in the direction of said force (this law is what allows explaining the movement associated with the force of the gravity). In a third law Newton stated that forces always occur in equal and opposite pairs.
A phenomenon similar to inertia also occurs in human relationships
When we let ourselves be carried away by events, we are acting out of inertia. This type of attitude is considered passive and may express lack of motivation or from personality.
This type of behavior has two different faces. On the one hand, inertia is positive because it is a comfortable option in which no decision has to be made. We imitate others, we let ourselves be guided or we continue doing the same as always and thus we feel in our comfort zone. Inertia has another reading very different.
Those who allow themselves to be led by this force easily fall into monotony and lack of control over their own life. In short, inertia can be an ally or an enemy.
Sometimes actions by inertia have a contradictory component: we let ourselves be carried away by it and at the same time we feel bad about our behavior. Let's think of a person who does not exercise at all and who has eaten everything he wants for many years. It is very likely that he has a dilemma: he is comfortable with his daily routine, but would like to break with her and start a new life.
Photo: Fotolia - kichigin19
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