Newton’s First Law of Motion: Inertia
9​
MAR
In this photo we see a very nice car, sadly smashed into a pole. This can be a perfect example of
inertia. As Newton states in his 1st law of motion, inertia, moving things will always keep in
motion, and things at rest will remain at rest. The only way this will change, is if an outside force
like a push or pull acts on the object. In the crash the driver was most likely badly hurt, and it is
rather obvious seeing how badly the wreck is. Because of inertia, while the car was traveling at its
top speed, inertia keeps it moving at that constant speed, until another force brings it to a stop.
The pole in this case, is the outside force, and as the car slams into the pole, it’s inertia has been
halted to zero, completely smashing the front end of this car. As for the driver, while the car was
moving at top speeds, so was the driver inside the car, but due to the law of inertia, once the car is
stopped unless the driver has a seat belt or restraint on his/her forward velocity will remain
forward. When the car comes in contact with the pole, the driver inside will still be moving forward
unless another force is acted to stop him/her, like a belt.
Why is the pole embedded so far into the hood of the car?