alleryStart learning →What is an inertial reference frame?
AA frame that is always accelerating uniformly
BA frame fixed only to the surface of the sun
CA frame where light always travels in circles
DObjects there follow Newton's first law of motion
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Objects there follow Newton's first law of motion
1. An inertial reference frame is one where all objects follow Newton's first law of motion.
2. In such a frame, an object at rest stays at rest, and a moving object keeps moving at constant velocity unless a force acts on it.
3. A frame that is always accelerating would not satisfy this condition, so it is not inertial.
4. Being fixed to the sun or making light travel in circles are not part of this definition.
5. So a frame following Newton's first law is correct.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 10 "Special Relativity", section 10.1 Postulates of Special Relativity_
Keep practising Special Relativity
Browse all Special Relativity questions for Alberta Diploma Exams, or explore more Physics topics.
Related questions
Knock out the false light claimsIn the RHIC collider, gold ions are accelerated to about 99.7 percent of the speed of lighDeuterium has a binding energy of 3.56 x 10^-13 J. Using c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s, what is its The nucleus of fluorine-18 has a mass defect of 2.44 x 10^-28 kg. Using c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/What is the rest energy, E0, of an object with a mass of 1.00 g? Use c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s.A rod has a proper length of 100 m. An observer moving relative to the rod at 0.80c measurA spaceship has a proper length of 50 m. As it flies past Earth at 0.95c, what length woulHow has time dilation been experimentally confirmed?