What is Inertia

[Don A. Gilmore]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 11:04 AM
Subject: Re: What is Inertia


> An object's inertia is directly related to its mass and velocity. The more
> mass it has and the faster it is traveling, the more inertia it has. A
> bullet, travelling at some very high velocity, could have a similar amount
> of inertia as a very slowly moving locomotive.
>
> Basically, a good way to think of inertia is, the harder it is to stop
> something, the more inertia it has.

No, you are referring to "kinetic energy".  Moving objects have a potential
to produce energy if you try to stop them.  That's what you're thinking of.

KE = 1/2 * mass * velocity squared

That's where you're train and bullet example is shown mathematically.

An object at rest still exhibits inertia, which is the tendency to resist
being accelerated.

Don A. Gilmore
Mechanical Engineer
Kansas City

> Terry Farrell