THE LAW OF

INERTIA
The law of inertia states that:
A body will preserve its velocity and direction so long as no force in
its motion's direction acts on it.
For example : a package thrown out of an airplane will continue to
move at the speed of the airplane on the horizontal axis (in the
direction of the airplane's movement). Since the law of gravity acts
on the package (a vertical downward axis), the package will gather
speed along the vertical axis, but on the horizontal axis its speed
will remain equal to that of the airplane.
(In this explanation we have left out the force of air-resistance).

The law of inertia is the basis of the new physics of the seventeenth
century. This law is also true according to modern
physics. Galileo discovered the law during the first decade of the
seventeenth century, but in fact he did not understand the law in
the general way we have formulated it here. The general
formulation of the law of inertia was devised by Galileo's pupils and
by Descartes - a French philosopher, mathematician and physicist.
This law is also the first of Newton's three laws.

Up to the time of Galileo, it was thought that one must exert force in order to cause
and preserve motion, as claimed by the physics of Aristotle. Indeed, when we look at
the world surrounding us, we see that in order to continue movement we must exert
force. Thus, for example, in order to conserve the speed of a car, the engine must
work. Objects on which no force is exerted to preserve their movement eventually
come to a stop. Galileo understood that one can explain the stopping of bodies by the
common experience that we always encounter a force of friction which resists the
motion of bodies. However, without such resistance force, the bodies would continue
to move at their previous speed.
The law of inertia is also important for Galileo's astronomy. He used this law to
explain why we do not feel the earth's motion, and especially why objects falling on
the surface of the earth move together with the earth. This explanation is related to
the law of relativity, which is also based on the constant acceleration of bodies. In
this way, Galileo succeeded in refuting the claims of his opponents, as in the example
of the boat in which Galileo proves the law of inertia. Galileo suggested a number of
additional proofs for this law with the help of the inclined plane. You will find an
additional explanation next to the globe in the exhibition room.

Laboratory - THE LAW OF INERTIA

First Experiment.
Second Experiment.
Third Experiment.
Fourth Experiment.

First Experiment

Conclusions:
The object/ball will roll down with increasing speed. It begins at rest, i.e., its speed is
equal to zero, and then gradually gathers speed. The longer the inclined plane, the
greater its speed. We call this increase in speed "acceleration." The opposite situation,
in which a body gradually slows down, is known as "deceleration." Thus, we have
seen that a body moving down an inclined plane accelerates downward.
What will happen to the ball after we give it an upward push?
The speed of a ball rolling up an inclined plane will gradually decrease, while that of a
ball rolling down will gradually increase.

Second Experiment :
Is there a relationship between the plane's steepness and the acceleration of a body
moving along this plane?
Between the angle of the plane's inclination and the change in the body's speed?

Third Experiment:
Is there a difference between a bicycle ride along a moderate incline and a steep
incline?

Fourth Experiment:
What would happen if we were to place a moving frictionless ball on a horizontal
plane, - i.e., a plane inclined neither downward nor upward?
1. Will it increase its speed - accelerate?
2. Will it decrease its speed - decelerate?
3. Will it preserve its present speed?

Conclusions:

Conclusions of The Third Experiment:

The more moderate a plane, the slower the acceleration of a body along it: i.e., the
body's speed will increase at a slower rate up the plane. The more moderate the
incline, the lower the deceleration of the body and the greater the distance it traverses.
We know that the force of gravity pulls heavy objects downward, toward the center of
the earth. For this reason, bodies on an inclined plane are drawn downward. The
smaller the incline, the lower the acceleration of the bodies moving down the plane
and the lower the deceleration of objects moving up the plane.

Conclusions of The Fourth Experiment:

Is there something pulling the ball to the left or the right? The force of gravity? Any
other force? Will a ball placed on the floor move by itself without being pushed?
If the plane had been somewhat inclined counter to the direction of the ball's
movement, the ball would have decelerated; if the plane had been inclined in the
direction of the ball's movement, it would have accelerated. Therefore, when the plane
is not inclined at all (i.e., it is a horizontal plane), the ball will neither accelerate nor
decelerate, but will preserve its present velocity.
A body moving on a smooth and frictionless horizontal plane will neither accelerate
nor decelerate, but will continue to move at a constant speed. Such a body will only
stop when another force stops it. This is in fact the law of inertia formulated clearly
by Sir Isaac Newton in 1687, more than eighty years after Galileo began to
investigate this law.