Galileo came up with the concept of inertia. What do we mean by inertia? How is it related to mass?

Galileo Galilei was a pivotal figure in the scientific revolution. Known primarily for his work in astronomy and physics, Galileo made significant contributions to our understanding of motion. Before him, the prevailing thought, spearheaded by Aristotle, was that continuous force was needed to keep an object in motion.
Galileo challenged this view by introducing the concept of inertia. He observed that objects would continue moving indefinitely in a straight line if not for resistive forces like friction. This realization laid the groundwork for later developments in classical mechanics.

Mass is a fundamental property of matter representing the amount of substance it contains. It is usually measured in kilograms (kg). In the context of inertia, mass becomes a crucial factor.
The relationship between mass and inertia is direct: the greater the mass of an object, the greater its inertia. This means that more massive objects resist changes to their state of motion more strongly than less massive objects. For example, pushing a loaded truck requires considerably more force than pushing a bicycle. That's because the truck has much more mass, thus greater inertia.
Understanding this relationship helps us in many practical situations—from designing vehicles to understanding natural phenomena.

Newton’s First Law, also known as the Law of Inertia, builds upon Galileo's concept. It states: 'An object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.' This law essentially quantifies Galileo’s observations.
Newton's First Law emphasizes two main points:

• Objects will not change their motion out of their own.
• An external force is necessary to alter the state of motion.

This foundational principle has numerous applications in everyday life and various fields of science. For instance, seat belts in cars are designed based on the Law of Inertia to prevent passengers from continuing in motion if the car suddenly stops.