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Newton's First Law

Key Concepts — Newton's First Law

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.