What is "inertia"

Inertia \In*er"ti*a\, n. [L., idleness, fr. iners idle. See Inert.]

1. (Physics) That property of matter by which it tends when at rest to remain so, and when in motion to continue in motion, and in the same straight line or direction, unless acted on by some external force; -- sometimes called vis inerti[ae]. The inertia of a body is proportional to its mass.

2. Inertness; indisposition to motion, exertion, or action; lack of energy; sluggishness.

   Men . . . have immense irresolution and inertia.
   --Carlyle.

3. (Med.) Lack of activity; sluggishness; -- said especially of the uterus, when, in labor, its contractions have nearly or wholly ceased.

   Center of inertia. (Mech.) See under Center.

1713, introduced as a term in physics 17c. by German astronomer and physician Johann Kepler (1571-1630), from Latin inertia "unskillfulness, idleness," from iners (genitive inertis) "unskilled, inactive;" see inert. Used in Modern Latin by Newton (1687). Sense of "apathy" first recorded 1822.

n. 1 (context physics uncountable or countable English) The property of a body that resists any change to its uniform motion; equivalent to its mass. 2 (context figuratively English) In a person, unwillingness to take action. 3 (context medicine English) Lack of activity; sluggishness; said especially of the uterus, when, in labour, its contractions have nearly or wholly ceased.

1. n. a disposition to remain inactive or inert; "he had to overcome his inertia and get back to work" [syn: inactiveness, inactivity] [ant: activeness]

2. (physics) the tendency of a body to maintain is state of rest or uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force

Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its state of motion (this includes changes to its speed, direction or state of rest). It is the tendency of objects to keep moving in a straight line at constant velocity. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics that are used to describe the motion of objects and how they are affected by applied forces. Inertia comes from the Latin word, iners, meaning idle, sluggish. Inertia is one of the primary manifestations of mass, which is a quantitative property of physical systems. Isaac Newton defined inertia as his first law in his Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which states:

In common usage, the term "inertia" may refer to an object's "amount of resistance to change in velocity" (which is quantified by its mass), or sometimes to its momentum, depending on the context. The term "inertia" is more properly understood as shorthand for "the principle of inertia" as described by Newton in his First Law of Motion: an object not subject to any net external force moves at a constant velocity. Thus, an object will continue moving at its current velocity until some force causes its speed or direction to change.

On the surface of the Earth, inertia is often masked by the effects of friction and air resistance, both of which tend to decrease the speed of moving objects (commonly to the point of rest), and gravity. This misled the philosopher Aristotle to believe that objects would move only as long as force was applied to them:

Inertia, in comics, may refer to:

• Inertia (Marvel Comics), a paramour of Haywire
• Inertia (DC Comics), a supervillainous clone

Inertia is the name of two separate, but related fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Inertia means resistance to change. It is used in different ways in many different disciplines, some of which are listed below:

"Inertia" is a short story written by Nancy Kress, and published in 2004 as part of the book Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse.

Inertia is a problem associated with anxiety and autism. People who experience inertia often experience feeling "paralyzed" when they are faced with stressful tasks.

Inertia is a Canadian drama film, directed by Sean Garrity and released in 2001.

The film stars Jonas Chernick, Sarah Constible, Gordon Tanner and Micheline Marchildon as Joseph, Laura, Bruce and Alex, four young professionals in Winnipeg, Manitoba who are embroiled in a "love rhombus" in which each is in unrequited love with one of the others.

The film won the award for Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival,

Inertia is the second studio album from the U.S. alternative rock band The Exies, released on January 7, 2003. The video to the first single "My Goddess" was directed by hip hop video director Diane Martel. The concept of the video revolved around the band playing in front of oncoming traffic- some of which were doing speeds as high as 70 miles an hour. "My Goddess" was filmed on Highway 2 in Los Angeles County in the fall of 2002.

It is their most successful album, reaching #115 on the Billboard 200. Inertia and their next studio album Head for the Door have sold over a combined 400,000 units.

Inertia is an independent record company based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in March 2000 by Ashley Sellers. Inertia releases exclusively the music from many of the world's most prominent independent labels. Inertia services include marketing, promotion, sales, distribution, product management, production, digital, publishing, third party, rights administration, and merchandising. Inertia also houses labels Pod, Inertia Recordings, Rogue Records and Provenance, each of which license releases from select local and international acts.

Inertia currently releases albums from many popular artists including Adele, Sia Furler, Bon Iver, The Herd, Radiohead, The National, Battles, Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, UNKLE, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, M.I.A., Midnight Juggernauts, The xx, Floating Me, Glass Towers, Best Coast, Fat Freddy's Drop, Wavves and Ice Cube. Over the last decade, the label has also worked with The White Stripes, Mos Def, Santigold, Ben Lee, TV On The Radio, The Dandy Warhols, Frightened Rabbit, Dizzee Rascal and Eagles Of Death Metal.