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2.2 Newton's Laws

Part of Force and Translational Dynamics in AP® Physics 1: Algebra-Based. Read the opening section, then create a free account for the full interactive lesson, practice, and progress tracking.

Newton's 1st Law

Newton’s 1st Law Verbatim: An object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will remain in motion at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a net external force.

This law introduces the concept of inertia, which is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. If no external force acts on an object, it will not change its velocity. If an object is at rest, it will stay at rest until a force is applied to it. If an object is moving, it will keep moving at the same speed and in the same direction unless a force causes it to accelerate or decelerate.

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