Sir Isaac Newton, an English physicist, astronomer, mathematician and philosopher is credited with creating three laws that govern the natural world in terms of energy and motion. These laws are the basic foundation of many physics discussions and calculations. His first law is the most basic of the three. It states that a body that is in motion will stay in motion, and a body at rest will stay at rest. This is all providing that no other force acts upon the body.
The first law assumes something very specific about the body that is in motion; it assumes that there is no friction to interfere with the body in motion. This is an unrealistic situation as even on ice there is a coefficient of friction that should be accounted for. Newton created this law using an idealistic view of the universe. He also created a mathematical way to interpret the calculation of motion.
The First Law of Motion is easy to interpret. If you are driving in an automobile and you are holding a drink that is filled nearly to the top you would easily see an interpretation of this law. When the car jerks into motion the drink moves with the motion. If the car stops abruptly, the fluid in the cup still keeps going (object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon…). Your lap or the window is the force that will stop the motion of the fluid.
The first law has other practical applications. The way that blood flows throughout the body is another easy example of this law. If you were to stand on your head you would feel the motion of the blood rushing to your head. It stops when it reaches the end and pools.
The First Law of Motion can also be theoretically applied in space. In space, there is little friction to interfere with motion. If an object is put into motion it can literally travel through space indefinitely until it runs into another object. This is why astronauts are able to enjoy the joys of weightlessness so much while in space. One small push and they can travel a great distance. On Earth, objects encounter a great deal of friction and are not able to move indefinitely.
Finally, the first law is often used in conjunction with Newton’s other laws of motion to solve problems. These laws help to shape the way objects use energy and move in the universe. Newton was able to formulate this law by furthering the work of Galileo, who essentially stated the very law Newton expanded upon.
