The natural tendency of objects to resist a change in their state of rest or of uniform motion is called ______

The correct answer is inertia.

Key Points

• Inertia is the property of an object to resist changes to its state of motion.
• It is a fundamental concept in Newton's First Law of Motion, which states that an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force.
• The concept of inertia was first introduced by Galileo Galilei and later refined by Sir Isaac Newton.
• Inertia is directly proportional to the mass of an object; the greater the mass, the greater the inertia.

Additional Information

• Newton's First Law of Motion: Often called the law of inertia, it states that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced external force.
• Mass and Inertia: Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object and is directly related to the object's inertia. More mass means more inertia.
• Galileo's Contribution: Galileo's experiments with inclined planes helped in understanding that objects resist changes in their state of motion, laying the groundwork for the concept of inertia.
• Practical Examples: Common examples of inertia include passengers moving forward in a car when it suddenly stops, or a book remaining at rest on a table until it is pushed.