Inertia and Mass

The Inertia and Mass Video Tutorial explains the concept of inertia and its relationship to mass. The video includes several short demonstrations and animations that illustrate the concept of inertia and its dependency upon mass.

The video lesson answers the following questions:

1. What is meant by the term inertia?
2. How is inertia related to mass?

Video

You can watch the video below, or click here to watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab).

To improve the effectiveness of the learning experience, The Physics Classroom has provided the following tools:

Additional and Related Learning Tools

Concept Builder: Changes of State
Students love Concept Builders! And this one on the topic of inertia makes for a great follow-up to our video. Go get them Dataways!

Minds On Physics the App, Part 2, Mission NL1
For those serious learners, you can't beat a workout with one of our Minds On Physics mission. App #2 has 12 missions on the topic of Newton's Laws of Motion and the first mission is an outstanding follow-up to this video lesson.

Physics Interactives: Race Track
If someone told you that you could play a game and learn Physics, I bet they would have your attention, right? So now that we have your attention, try the Race Track game from our Physics Interactives section. And as you do, be thinking about inertia.

Tutorial, Newton's Laws Chapter, Lesson 1
Need a written reference? Everybody does at sometime or another. Try our Tutorial for a quick review of inertia and its connection to mass.

Teacher Resources

Teacher Toolkits: Newton's First Law
Teacher Toolkits provide teachers a collection of annotated links to vetted resources on the internet that are standards-based and multimedia reliant. This particular Toolkit is on Newton's First Law and should assist a teacher in finding resources for planning lessons that are next steps to this video.

Curriculum Corner: Newton's Laws Chapter
The Curriculum Corner provides classroom-ready Think Sheets that fuel great in-class discussions. The think sheets on Inertia and Mass, Preconceptions on Force and Motion, and Balanced vs. Unbalanced Forces might be great follow-ups to this video tutorial.

Physics Interactive: The Rocket Sledder
Our Interactives section provides short simulations that allow students to manipulate a variable and observe its impact upon a motion. This one is perfect for helping students view the connection between force and motion. It comes with a classroom-ready activity sheet.

Race Track Interactive
Liven up your lesson with this phun challenge called Race Track. In this turn-based game, students tap on force buttons to guide a race car around a track in the least number of moves. There are multiple levels and an infinite number of re-takes ... and lots of thinking and analysis for success.

Balanced vs. Unbalanced Forces Concept Builder
When you watch students doing Concept Builders in your classroom, you realize how much they love them. This one on Balanced vs. Unbalanced forces will help students associate the force diagram with the described motion of the object.

Force and Motion Concept Builder
Another helpful Concept Builder. The forces acting upon an object are described by a force diagram and students must determine what the resulting motion could be. Put your thinking cap on and prepare to discard any erroneous ideas you have about force and motion.

Concept Builder: Changes of State
And still another Concept Builder. You have plenty of tools for planning engaging lessons that challenge students to think about the meaning of concepts.

Minds On Physics the App, Part 2, Mission NL1
It's not for everyone but serious learners will appreciate the rigor and no-nonsense approach of our Minds On Physics program. Interactive. Built-in help. Immediate feedback. Emphasis on close reading and critical thinking. Works on tablets and phones. Now that's a great resume! Try Minds On Physics.

Physics Classroom Tutorial - Newton's Laws Chapter, Lesson 1, Inertia and Mass
Our Physics Classroom Tutorial has a proven record of explaining hard-to-understand concepts in an easy-to-understand language. This short page is the written version of our Video Tutorial on mass and inertia. It's a great reference.

Lesson Notes

Download (opens in a new tab) or view below

Slides

Do you like the slides we used? They are available in our low cost Teacher Presentation Pack, along with other updated materials used in our presentation.