Inquiry About Inertia: What Causes It?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter GarryS
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Inertia
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of inertia and its underlying causes. Participants explore the nature of inertia, the relationship between mass and inertia, and the philosophical implications of seeking a cause for inertia.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the fundamental cause of inertia itself.
  • Others suggest that the inquiry into the cause of inertia leads to deeper philosophical questions about the need for a cause.
  • A participant references the definition of mass as an inertial property and discusses its implications, noting the uncertainty surrounding the cause of mass and its relationship to forces, time, and gravity.
  • There is a humorous response to the question about the need for a cause, indicating a light-hearted take on the philosophical aspect of the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the cause of inertia and the necessity of a cause, with no consensus reached on these philosophical inquiries.

Contextual Notes

The discussion touches on unresolved questions regarding the nature of mass and inertia, as well as the philosophical implications of causality, without providing definitive answers.

GarryS
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
What is the cause of Inertia?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
GarryS said:
What is the cause of Inertia?
What is the cause of the need for a cause?
 
I just read this two minutes ago while reseaching the "standard kilogram"... so I'll post it here for reference:

The kilogram is a unit of mass, the measurement of which corresponds to the general, everyday notion of how “heavy” something is. Physically speaking, mass is an inertial property; that is, the tendency of an object to remain at constant velocity unless acted upon by an outside force.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilogram#Stability_of_the_international_prototype_kilogram

What is the cause of mass? forces? time? gravity? nobody really knows...it's a characteristic of our universe...and without any of them we'd not be here to observe and question. We can't even figure out yet why we have the fundamental particles that we observe.
 
A.T. said:
What is the cause of the need for a cause?

Ha Ha Ha Ha...
 

Similar threads

High School A universe where Zeno is right and the law of inertia still holds
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
1K
Undergrad Moment of Inertia about an axis and Torque about a point
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
High School Inertia of a rolling dumbell
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
Undergrad Resolve moment of inertia at an angle
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
High School Understanding Weight and Inertia: A Comparison of Mars and Earth
  • · Replies 46 ·
2
Replies
46
Views
5K
High School How to find the Moment of Inertia for a Sphero robot?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
High School How does inertia cause the water to stay in the bucket
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Graduate The Effects of Incredibly Small Inertia on Acceleration: A Scientific Inquiry
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
1K
High School Looking for help Understanding Inertia
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
High School Moment of Inertia of Rectangles
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
4K