Why Inertia is so interesting?

In summary, inertia is a strange phenomenon that has been difficult to explain in terms of modern physics.
  • #1
Angelos
17
0
Hi...

Many times I have read articles about how strange inertia is and that no theory we have so far can not explain it etc. However I don't see that problem with it. What is so weird on inertia? It seems to me as normal thing that if some reference frame accelerate the particles in this frame are trying to stay with the velocity they had. It's probably because I really have knowledge of classical mechanics only. Please can you help me here and show me why Inertia is so interesting? Thank you.
 
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  • #2
Angelos said:
Hi...

Many times I have read articles about how strange inertia is and that no theory we have so far can not explain it etc.

Regulars on here will know what's coming...

In this forum, whenever someone says "I read somewhere..." or "I heard somewhere...", we would PREFER that you give an exact reference to what this "somewhere" is. Tell us the exact source so that we can double check what you thought you have understood out of it.

It makes no sense to try and correct or explain what you read without figuring out if what you interpreted is what was being written in the first place. We can't tell if you read some crackpot article, or if you understood something incorrectly, or if the article is pointing out beyond the scope of what one can explain currently.

I have seen many cases where, after we spend a lot of effort in trying to explain to the reader, it turned out that the reader misinterpreted the article in the first place. So the whole question was moot! I'm sure you can imagine why such a thing can be annoying and frustrating.

So to prevent that (and this applies to everyone who has the intention of posting such a question), please CITE YOUR SOURCES clearly! If you can't, then it can't be THAT important. Or maybe this would be a good warning in the future for people to SAVE and RECORD your sources whenever you read anything interesting or puzzling.

Zz.
 
  • #3
Ok. I'm sorry for that. As you might expected I don't have any certain sources and so I will try to rewrite my question.

Why is it so hard to explain inertia in terms of modern physics? I'm high school junior so I know only classical mechanics and little bit of special relativity. You probably will want know how I know that it's hard. So the answer is that I heart it. I cannot vindicate it differently. If it is not true just report this topic and I'm sorry for your time.

I will be glad for any help or link to web about this topic.
 
  • #4
the problem cmoes when you try to explain why ceratin particles have the masses they do, ie why doesn't a brick have 10000x the amount of inertia it does right now.
 
  • #5
Inertia becomes an issue when gravity is considered. Einstein thought about gravitational mass and inertial mass and decided they must be the same.

Try looking up Mach's principle in Wiki.

But I'm not sure what you are actually asking.
 
  • #6
Without inertia, any mass could be accelerated to the speed of light with little difficulty, and that would make for a very strange universe indeed; one which would likely be in constant destructive chaos.
Just some thoughts...
 

Related to Why Inertia is so interesting?

1. What is inertia?

Inertia is the property of matter that describes its resistance to change in motion. It is a fundamental concept in physics and is often referred to as Newton's First Law of Motion.

2. Why is inertia important?

Inertia is important because it helps us understand how objects move and interact with each other. It also plays a crucial role in many real-world applications, such as designing vehicles and predicting the motion of celestial bodies.

3. How does inertia relate to mass?

Inertia is directly related to an object's mass. The more mass an object has, the more inertia it has. This means that heavier objects are more difficult to move and stop compared to lighter objects.

4. Why is inertia considered interesting?

Inertia is considered interesting because it challenges our everyday intuitions about motion. For example, we may expect a moving object to continue moving forever, but inertia tells us that an external force is needed to change its motion. It also has real-world applications and has led to many important discoveries in physics.

5. Can inertia be observed in everyday life?

Yes, inertia can be observed in many everyday situations. For instance, when a car suddenly stops, passengers may feel like they are being pushed forward. This is due to their inertia, as their bodies want to continue moving forward even though the car has stopped.

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