Mass & Inertia
Physics: Cambridge International A Level, topic 3.1.1
Mass
The mass of an object is a measure of the amount of matter it contains. The mass of an object is constant. It is the same on Earth, on the Moon and in space.
Amount of matter
- An object's mass is a measure of the amount of matter that it contains.
Inertia
- An object's mass is also a measure of how difficult it is to change the object's motion.
- This is called inertia.
- An object with a high mass has more inertia than an object with a lower mass.
- It is difficult to move an object with a high mass (and high inertia), and once it is moving, the object’s motion is hard to stop.
Test yourself on Mass & Inertia
Which of the following are true of mass and inertia?
Which of these is the correct definition of inertia?