Statement of the law: “If a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or continue to move in a straight line at a constant speed, unless it is acted upon by a force.” This postulate is also known as the law of inertia.
Real-life examples illustrating Newton’s first law:

✔ The simplest example to explain this Newton’s law is an object that is placed on the surface of the Earth. It will remain at rest until some force acts on it. Thus, a book on a bookshelf will not change its position until a force acts on it. Or a ball on a football pitch won’t move on its own unless it is pushed or pulled. A gust of wind can also make the ball move. This means that a force doesn’t have to come from a person.

✔ While traveling on a bus, if the driver brakes abruptly, we feel a momentary pull in the forward direction. The reason for this jerk, which passengers sitting inside the bus feel, is the law of inertia. Due to the inertia of motion, our body continues to move even after the bus has stopped, thereby pushing us forward.

✔ A marathon runner can’t stop immediately after crossing the finish line. They continue to run for a few more feet. This is due to inertia which doesn’t let the body stop abruptly and forces it to maintain its state of motion.

✔ A ball rolling on the ground tends to maintain its state of motion till infinity unless it is acted upon by an external force. However, such force exists. This is the friction force that acts on the ball from the outside and helps stop the ball from moving.

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