Laws of Motion
Class 11 · Laws of Motion

Newton's First Law

Inertia — object at rest stays at rest; object in motion stays in motion. Toggle friction to see the difference.

Key Notes

01

Every body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless acted on by a net external force.

02

This is the law of inertia — bodies resist changes to their motion.

03

Inertia is measured by mass: larger mass → more resistance to change.

04

There is no distinction between 'at rest' and 'moving at constant velocity' — both are zero-net-force states.

Formulas

First Law

Zero net force implies constant velocity.

Important Points

Friction doesn't violate the first law — it is an external force.

Newton's First Law notes from sciphylab (also known as SciPhy, SciPhy Lab, SciPhy Labs, Physics Lab). Class 11 physics revision for JEE Mains, JEE Advanced, NEET UG, AP Physics 1/2/C, SAT, and CUET-UG.