2.

3 UNDERSTANDING INERTIA
Mass
Mass is defined as the amount of matter. The SI unit of mass is kg (kilogram). Mass is scalar quantity.
Force
Force is defined as any kind of a push or a pull on an object. Pushing a crate requires a force as does
throwing a ball.
Newton 1st Law
Every object continues in its state ________________________________________________________
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Meaning of Inertia
Inertia is __________________________________________________________________________ .
Inertia is said to obey the Newton 1st Law.
Idea of inertia
Situation

Explanation

When the
cardboard is pulled
away quickly, the
coin resting on the
cardboard drops
straight into the
glass.
Hard-boiled or raw?

Put two eggs on a

table, one raw and the
other is hard-boiled.
Can you identify the
two eggs?
When a student is riding a skateboard and runs over
a stone, he is thrown forward off the skateboard.
Why?

Relationship between mass and inertia

Try to imagine you are shopping in a supermarket. Compare between an empty cart and a full cart, which
one is easier to move? Why?
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Conclusion : An object with a larger mass will has a __________ inertia. (The inertia of an object depends
solely on its mass)
*However inertia is a phenomenon (tendency of an object). It has no unit even though it depends on mass of
an object.
Refresher

Inertia = The tendency of an object to remain at rest or moving with uniform velocity in a straight
line.
Force is needed to change its velocity, i.e.
a) To get the object start moving,
b) To make the object move faster, slower or change the direction of motion.

Practice
1.

What is inertia? Does 2 kg rock have twice the inertia of 1 kg rock?

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2.
The figure shows Farah pulling Rima and both are skating forward. What
will happen to Rima when Farah releases her hand?
A
Stop moving
B Continue to move forward
C
Move backward
3.
Figure shows a man pushing an empty trolley and a trolley loaded with a
heavy box.
a) Why it is easier to start and stop the empty trolley compared to one loaded with the heavy box?
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b) Explain why, when the trolley loaded with the heavy box is stopped suddenly, the box moves
forward and drops out of the trolley.
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Positive Effects of Inertia

Ways to reduce the negative effects of inertia