BRAINCAKENewton's First Law of Motion
Newton's first law states that an object remains at rest, or continues to move at constant velocity, unless it is acted on by a resultant force.
If the forces on an object are balanced, ΣF = 0, the object is in equilibrium. It may be stationary, or it may be moving at a constant speed in a straight line. Balanced forces do not mean the object is at rest.
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Key terms in this lesson
- Equilibrium
- An object is in equilibrium when the resultant force and the resultant moment acting on it are both zero.
More in Newtons Laws of Motion
- Investigating Force and Motion
- Newton's Second Law of Motion
- Weight
- Resultant Forces
- Sliding Down a Slope
- Object Falling in a Fluid
- Terminal Speed
- Motion of a Powered Vehicle
All 16 lessons in Newtons Laws of Motion · All AQA AS-level Physics topics