GED Science Practice

Which term in physics describes the tendency of a body to maintain its state of rest or uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force?

1. a. Inertia

2. b. Inhalation

3. c. Hypothesis

4. d. Instinct

The correct answer is: a. Inertia

The term that describes the tendency of a body to maintain its state of rest or uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force is inertia. Inertia is a fundamental concept in physics that is directly related to Newton's first law of motion, which states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by a net external force. This means that inertia is the property of matter that resists changes to its state of motion, and the greater the mass of an object, the greater its inertia. The other terms listed do not relate to this principle. Inhalation refers to the process of breathing in, a biological function; a hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon, typically used in scientific investigations; and instinct refers to an innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals. None of these terms capture the concept of a body's resistance to change in motion, which is the essence of inertia.