Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) Integrated Science (024) Practice Exam

According to Newton's First Law, what will happen to an object at rest?

1. It will always move.

2. It stays at rest until acted upon by an unbalanced force.

3. It may start moving on its own.

4. It will eventually come to a stop.

The correct answer is: It stays at rest until acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Newton's First Law, also known as the Law of Inertia, states that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an unbalanced external force. This principle highlights that objects tend to maintain their current state—whether that is being at rest or moving at a constant velocity—until influenced by an external force that interrupts that state. In practical terms, if no force (like friction, gravity, or a push) is applied to an object at rest, it will not change its state and will remain in place. Understanding this law is fundamental in physics, as it lays the groundwork for understanding motion and force interactions in various contexts.