The tendency of moving object to continue moving in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in place is called __________________.

The tendency of a moving object to continue moving in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in its place is called inertia.

In other words, inertia is the resistance of a physical object to a change in the object’s motion. A change to the object’s motion may include a change in the object’s speed or direction.

This correlates to Newton’s first law of motion that states “an object at rest stays at...

The tendency of a moving object to continue moving in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in its place is called inertia.

In other words, inertia is the resistance of a physical object to a change in the object’s motion. A change to the object’s motion may include a change in the object’s speed or direction.

This correlates to Newton’s first law of motion that states “an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." Prior to Newton, it was believed that a moving object would eventually stop moving. Also before Newton, it was thought that a force was required to keep a moving object from stopping.