alleryStart learning →What is an inertial frame of reference?
AA coordinate system moving at any acceleration
BA coordinate system fixed to a rotating body
CA coordinate system that is not accelerating
DA coordinate system fixed to a falling object
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. A coordinate system that is not accelerating
1. An inertial frame of reference is a coordinate system that is not accelerating.
2. All the forces acting in such a frame are real forces with a physical origin.
3. Newton's laws take their simple form only in an inertial frame.
4. A rotating or accelerating frame produces fictitious forces that have no physical origin.
5. The rotation of Earth is slow enough that Earth is nearly an inertial frame.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 "Dynamics: Force and Newton's Laws of Motion", section 4.5 Normal, Tension, and Other Examples of Forces_
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