Which law of motion implies that if you push a stationary object, it will not move unless there is enough force?

Which law of motion implies that if you push a stationary object, it will not move unless there is enough force?

• A. Newton's first law of motion
• B. Newton's second law of motion
• C. Newton's third law of motion
• D. The law of inertia

Answer: (A)

The principle that states a stationary object will not move unless acted upon by a sufficient force is rooted in the concept of inertia, which is encapsulated in Newton's first law of motion. This law articulates that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will continue in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. This means that for a stationary object to begin moving, a force greater than any opposing forces (like friction) must be applied. If the force exerted is insufficient, the object will not change its state of motion and will remain stationary. This foundational idea emphasizes the importance of force in altering an object's motion, highlighting the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration within the framework of classical mechanics. The other laws of motion address different aspects of motion: the second law quantitatively relates force to mass and acceleration, while the third law deals with action-reaction force pairs that occur simultaneously. The law of inertia essentially repeats the core concept of the first law but is not typically cited as a separate law in this context. Therefore, the correct answer reflects the fundamental relationship between force and motion as described by Newton's first law.

The principle that states a stationary object will not move unless acted upon by a sufficient force is rooted in the concept of inertia, which is encapsulated in Newton's first law of motion. This law articulates that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will continue in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force.

This means that for a stationary object to begin moving, a force greater than any opposing forces (like friction) must be applied. If the force exerted is insufficient, the object will not change its state of motion and will remain stationary. This foundational idea emphasizes the importance of force in altering an object's motion, highlighting the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration within the framework of classical mechanics.

The other laws of motion address different aspects of motion: the second law quantitatively relates force to mass and acceleration, while the third law deals with action-reaction force pairs that occur simultaneously. The law of inertia essentially repeats the core concept of the first law but is not typically cited as a separate law in this context. Therefore, the correct answer reflects the fundamental relationship between force and motion as described by Newton's first law.