What property describes an object's resistance to changes in its state of motion?

What property describes an object's resistance to changes in its state of motion?

• A. Mass
• B. Inertia
• C. Momentum
• D. Velocity

Answer: (B)

The property that describes an object's resistance to changes in its state of motion is inertia. Inertia is a fundamental concept in physics, specifically rooted in Newton's first law of motion, which states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue in motion with the same velocity unless acted upon by a net external force. Inertia is directly related to mass; the greater an object's mass, the greater its inertia. This means heavier objects require more force to change their state of motion compared to lighter ones. While mass itself quantifies how much matter is present in an object, inertia specifically refers to the effect of mass in resisting changes to motion. Momentum is the product of an object's mass and its velocity, and while it is related to motion, it does not directly measure resistance to changes in motion. Velocity describes the speed and direction of an object's movement but does not address how that object responds to applied forces. Therefore, inertia is the best term to encapsulate the idea of resistance to changes in an object's motion.

The property that describes an object's resistance to changes in its state of motion is inertia. Inertia is a fundamental concept in physics, specifically rooted in Newton's first law of motion, which states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue in motion with the same velocity unless acted upon by a net external force.

Inertia is directly related to mass; the greater an object's mass, the greater its inertia. This means heavier objects require more force to change their state of motion compared to lighter ones. While mass itself quantifies how much matter is present in an object, inertia specifically refers to the effect of mass in resisting changes to motion.

Momentum is the product of an object's mass and its velocity, and while it is related to motion, it does not directly measure resistance to changes in motion. Velocity describes the speed and direction of an object's movement but does not address how that object responds to applied forces. Therefore, inertia is the best term to encapsulate the idea of resistance to changes in an object's motion.