How does inertia affect motion?
Inertia is the property of matter that keeps a body at a constant speed and direction until a force changes its motion. Inertia resists changes in motion . A body at rest will remain at rest until a force causes it to move. Likewise a body in motion will keep its direction and speed until a force changes it motion. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity . Miles per hour per second (e.g. 0 to 60 MPH in 6 seconds) is a popular unit of acceleration used by drag racers. Scientists like to use meters per second per second as a the standard unit of acceleration. If you double the force acting on a body, you will double its acceleration. If you double its inertia (i.e. its mass), you will reduce the acceleration by half. Inertia will resist an increase in a body’s speed, a decrease in a body’s speed, and any change in the direction of a body’s speed. All of these motion changes require a force to overcome a body’s inertia. I hope this helps.
