massenträgheit

Massenträgheit, also known as inertia, is a fundamental property of matter. It describes the resistance of any physical object to any change in its state of motion. This means an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. The concept of massenträgheit is directly proportional to an object's mass; a more massive object has greater massenträgheit and is thus harder to accelerate or decelerate.

This principle was first clearly articulated by Isaac Newton in his first law of motion, often referred to as the law of inertia. It is a cornerstone of classical mechanics and explains why, for example, a heavy truck is more difficult to stop than a small car, and why a ball placed on a smooth, level surface will remain stationary indefinitely if no forces like friction or air resistance are acting on it. Massenträgheit is not a force itself but rather an inherent characteristic that dictates how an object responds to applied forces. Understanding massenträgheit is crucial for analyzing the motion of objects in various physical systems.