When involved in an automobile collision, a person not wearing a seat belt will move through the car and often strike the windshield directly. Which of Newton's laws explains why the person continues forward, even though the car stopped?

Newton's First Law of Motion, also known as the law of inertia, tells us something vital about motion. It says that an object, like a person inside a moving car, will keep moving at the same speed and in the same direction unless something makes it stop or change direction. Think of it this way: if you slide a book across a table, it eventually stops because of friction, an external force. Without friction, the book would slide forever.

In our car scenario, the moving car suddenly stops after a collision. Since the person inside isn't wearing a seatbelt, nothing stops them from continuing to move forward. They keep going at the same speed the car was moving before it stopped. This is why they might hit the windshield. The law of inertia perfectly explains this: the person keeps moving because no external force is acting directly to stop them.

Automobile safety is directly tied to understanding Newton's laws, especially the first one. Seat belts are designed to provide that crucial external force needed to stop a person from moving forward in a crash. They keep you firmly in your seat, applying a force that counters your inertia.

Without a seat belt, your body would continue to move forward at the speed the car was traveling just before it stopped. This forward movement can lead to serious injuries or even death if you hit the windshield or other parts of the car. In essence, seat belts save lives by counteracting the law of inertia. They're a simple, yet powerful demonstration of how Newton's First Law works to keep us safe.

External forces are key players in changing the motion of objects. According to Newton's First Law, an external force is needed to change the state of motion of an object. In the case of a car accident, the external force might be the impact of another vehicle, a tree, or a barrier. This force causes the car to stop suddenly.

For the person inside the car, the seatbelt provides that needed external force to stop their forward motion safely. Without it, there is no external force to immediately counteract their inertia. They continue moving until they collide with something else within the car. So, external forces are not just abstract physical concepts—they are everyday realities that keep us secure. In car collisions, seat belts act as vital external forces that safeguard human lives.