Read the passage given below and answer the following questions from 1 to 5. Newton’s first law of motion states that If the net external force on a body is zero, its acceleration is zero. Acceleration can be non zero only if there is a net external force on the body. To summaries, if the net external force is zero, a body at rest continues to remain at rest and a body in motion continues to move with a uniform velocity. This property of the body is called inertia. Inertia means ‘resistance to change’. A body does not change its state of rest or uniform motion, unless an external force compels it to change that state. In other words, all objects resist a change in their state of motion. In a qualitative way, the tendency of undisturbed objects to stay at rest or to keep moving with the same velocity is called inertia. Consider a book at rest on a horizontal surface. It is subject to two external forces: the force due to gravity (i.e. its weight W) acting downward and the upward force on the book by the table, the normal force R. R is a self-adjusting force. This is an example of the kind of situation mentioned above. The forces are not quite known fully but the state of motion is known. We observe the book to be at rest. Therefore, we conclude from the first law that the magnitude of R equals that of W. A statement often encountered is : Since W = R, forces cancel and, therefore, the book is at rest”. This is incorrect reasoning. The correct statement is: “Since the book is observed to be at rest, the net external force on it must be zero, according to the first law. This implies that the normal force R must be equal and opposite to the weight W
”.
- The book on table is at rest. The force of gravity here is balanced by:
- Force of friction.
- Normal reaction by table on book.
- Weight of table.
- None of these.
- If no external force acts on object which is at rest. it will
- Remain at rest.
- Start to move.
- Both a and b can possible.
- None of these.
- Define inertia.
- State Newton’s first law of motion.
- Explain why book on table remains at rest.