INERTIA

Inertia is the tendency of an object to stay at rest or in motion

Inertia is the property of an object that resists changes in its motion.
Because of inertia, an object at rest tends to stay at rest. An object in
motion tends to keep moving at a constant speed in a straight line.
Newton's First Law
Newton's First Law of Motion explains how inertia affects moving and
non-moving objects. Newton's first law states that an object will remain
at rest or move at a constant speed in a straight line unless it is acted
on by an unbalanced force. Inertia comes from mass. Objects with
more mass have more inertia.
To understand inertia, imagine moving a bowling ball and a golf ball
that are at rest. The golf ball has a mass of 0.05 kilogram, and the
bowling ball has a mass of five kilograms. The bowling ball has 100
times more mass than the golf ball, so it has 100 times more inertia,
too.
Now ask yourself, which needs more force to start moving? If you push
for the same distance, the bowling ball takes much more force to get it
moving the same speed as the golf ball. The bowling ball needs more
force because a bowling ball has more inertia than a golf ball. The
greater an object's inertia, the greater the force needed to change its
motion.
According to Newton's first law, an unbalanced force is needed to move
the book on your desk. You could supply the force by pushing the book.
An unbalanced force is needed to change the speed or direction of the
spacecraft. This force could be supplied by the spacecraft's engines.
Because of inertia, an object at rest will remain at rest until something
causes it to move. Likewise, a moving object continues to move at the
same speed and in the same direction unless something acts on it to
change its speed or direction.
Effects of Inertia
You can feel the effects of inertia every day. Suppose you are riding in a
car. What happens if the car comes to a sudden stop? Your body has
inertia. When the car stops, you keep on moving forward. What
happens when the car starts moving? Because of inertia, your body
tends to stay at rest when the car moves forward.
In baseball, inertia tends to keep a player running in a straight line. So,
base runners have to 'round' the bases instead of making sharp turns.
An oscillator is a physical system that has repeating cycles (harmonic
motion). A child on a swing is an oscillator, as is a vibrating guitar string.
A wagon rolling down a hill is not an oscillator. Systems that oscillate
move back and forth around a center, or equilibrium, position. You can
think of equilibrium as the system at rest, undisturbed, with zero net
force. A wagon rolling down a hill is not in equilibrium because the
force of gravity that causes it to accelerate is not balanced by another
force. A child sitting motionless on a swing is in equilibrium because the
force of gravity is balanced by the tension in the ropes.
A restoring force is any force that always acts to pull a system back
toward equilibrium. Restoring force is related to the force of gravity or
weight and the lift force (or tension) of the string of a pendulum. If a
pendulum is pulled forward or backward, gravity creates a restoring
force that pulls it toward equilibrium. Systems with restoring forces
become oscillators.
 Inertia causes an oscillator to go past equilibrium. The motion of an
oscillator is the result of an interaction between a restoring force and
inertia. For example, the restoring force pulls a pendulum toward
equilibrium. But, because of Newton's first law, the pendulum does not
just stop at equilibrium. According to the first law, an object in motion
tends to stay in motion. The pendulum has inertia that keeps it moving
forward so it overshoots its equilibrium position every time.
Examples
Cars and planes with more inertia take more force to accelerate. Since
inertia is related to mass, in order to reduce inertia you must reduce
mass. The mass of a car or plane is a trade-off between inertia and the
strength of materials of the car or plane. You want strong materials, but
you don't want them so heavy that it takes too much energy (fuel) just
to get the car or plane moving!
Seat belts could be called 'anti-inertia' belts. A car tends to keep moving
in a straight line, even if the driver's foot is not on the gas pedal.
Everyone inside the car also has inertia. They are moving at the same
speed as the car.
Suppose you are riding in a car. The driver is forced to step on brakes
suddenly. Inertia keeps you moving forward at the same speed as the
car was moving. You will keep moving until something stops you. This
might be the car's steering wheel, dashboard or windshield. You might
be hurt if you hit these parts of the car, unless you are wearing a seat
belt. A seat belt keeps you from moving forward when the car stops
suddenly. Seat belts can prevent serious injuries. You should always
remember to 'buckle up' when you get into a car.