kindly keep the explanation rather simple plz
In: 0
Newton’s law of inertia states that in the absence of outside forces, a body at rest will remain at rest and a body in motion will remain in motion. You need external forces to make something start moving from rest, or to slow down or change the direction of something that’s moving.
An inertial frame of reference is a frame of reference where this is true. In other words, it is a frame of reference that is not experiencing any acceleration.
Imagine you’re in a car that is moving at a constant speed in a straight line and you have one of those tree-shaped air fresheners hanging from your mirror. From your frame of reference inside the car, the air freshener is at rest relative to you and the rest of the car, so it should not and does not move by itself. This is an inertial frame of reference, because the law of inertia is true here. The air freshener is at rest and remains at rest.
Now imagine the car slows down. The air freshener swings forward. From your frame of reference inside the car, this violates inertia. The air freshener, which was at rest relative to you and the rest of the car, suddenly moved by itself. Therefore, this is not an inertial frame of reference.
The difference is acceleration. Because the car experienced a change in its velocity in the second case, it cannot be an inertial frame of reference.
Latest Answers