Inertia
noun
The tendency of something to stay still or continue moving and not change speed or direction unless something else causes it to.
The car's inertia carried it forward even after the brakes were applied.
Often appears as...
- moment of inertia
- inertia forces
noun
The lack of motion or change in a person, organization or system because of resistance to change.
The inertia of the government prevents any significant progress.
Often appears as...
- bureaucratic inertia
- social inertia
noun
In physics, the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless changed by an external force.
Without the effect of inertia, a car going around a curve would continue to travel in a straight line.
Often appears as...
- principle of inertia
- inertia of motion
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
noun
The tendency of something to stay still or continue moving and not change speed or direction unless something else causes it to.
The car's inertia carried it forward even after the brakes were applied.
Often appears as...
- moment of inertia
- inertia forces
noun
The lack of motion or change in a person, organization or system because of resistance to change.
The inertia of the government prevents any significant progress.
Often appears as...
- bureaucratic inertia
- social inertia
noun
In physics, the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless changed by an external force.
Without the effect of inertia, a car going around a curve would continue to travel in a straight line.
Often appears as...
- principle of inertia
- inertia of motion
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Real-life Motion
Inertia refers to how real-world objects continue moving; think of sliding on ice.
Skaters use the inertia of their movement to glide effortlessly on the rink.
Pro Tip 2/3Non-physical Application
Inertia can describe situations or trends that persist over time without specific efforts to change them.
Cultural inertia keeps certain traditions alive for generations.
Pro Tip 3/3Unexpected Resistance
Inertia involves resistance to changes in speed or direction, often unexpectedly.
The project's inertia meant that sudden shifts in focus were difficult.
Pro Tip 1/3Real-life Motion
Inertia refers to how real-world objects continue moving; think of sliding on ice.
Skaters use the inertia of their movement to glide effortlessly on the rink.
Pro Tip 2/3Non-physical Application
Inertia can describe situations or trends that persist over time without specific efforts to change them.
Cultural inertia keeps certain traditions alive for generations.
Pro Tip 3/3Unexpected Resistance
Inertia involves resistance to changes in speed or direction, often unexpectedly.
The project's inertia meant that sudden shifts in focus were difficult.
Pro Tip 1/3Real-life Motion
Inertia refers to how real-world objects continue moving; think of sliding on ice.
Skaters use the inertia of their movement to glide effortlessly on the rink.
Pro Tip 2/3Non-physical Application
Inertia can describe situations or trends that persist over time without specific efforts to change them.
Cultural inertia keeps certain traditions alive for generations.
Pro Tip 3/3Unexpected Resistance
Inertia involves resistance to changes in speed or direction, often unexpectedly.
The project's inertia meant that sudden shifts in focus were difficult.
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Video examples
A robot that runs and...
So a simple geometrical system that kind of coordinates a bit the internal movement of the segments. A second property of cat limbs is that they are very lightweight. Most of the muscles are in the trunk, which is a good idea, because then the limbs have low inertia and can be moved very rapidly. The last final important property is this very elastic behavior of the cat limb,
Video examples
Parag Khanna maps the...
But I believe that the inertia of the existing borders that we have today is far worse and far more violent. The question is how do we change those borders, and what lines do we focus on? I believe we focus on the lines that cross borders, the infrastructure lines. Then we'll wind up with the world we want, a borderless one.
Video examples
Fireworks PIPE I Didn't...
two perfectly forming rings of stars a central ring and an outer ring the outer ring made of stars of a slightly larger size therefore they'll be heavier and when they burst in the middle ignites these stars and blows them in the circle formation the inertia of the heavier larger stars will travel further thus in
Video examples
A simple 2-step plan for...
is shown to help you save more. Researchers believe that passive systems like this are successful, because they work with our tendency towards inertia. You don't have to manually initiate each subsequent transfer, and you won't be tempted to hold back a bit every time you make a savings transfer.
Video examples
Bono: The good news on...
want to be free, and when they're free, liberty is usually around the corner, even for the poorest of the poor -- facts that can challenge cynicism and the apathy that leads to inertia, facts that tell us what's working and, more importantly, what's not, so we can fix it,
Video examples
Robots that fly ... and...
the robot naturally becomes agile. So here, R is the characteristic length of the robot. It's actually half the diameter. And there are lots of physical parameters that change as you reduce R. The one that's most important is the inertia, or the resistance to motion.
Video examples
How motivation can fix...
In fact, this approach of using the citizen to trigger motivation is not even limited to public health systems. I sincerely believe that if there is any public system, in any country, that is in inertia, then we need to bring back the motivation.
Video examples
The good news on poverty...
the corner even for the poorest of the poor facts that can challenge cynicism and the apathy that leads to inertia facts that tell us what's working and more importantly what's not so we can fix it facts that if we hear them and heed them
Video examples
My life as an outsider PIPE...
another aspect of our lives which I find fascinating is this need in which our lives are evolving from the speed of the body to the speed of consumption to the economy and inertia the next project starts off with the crystallized moment
Video examples
How the US government...
which means that Congress's inertia is on our side if we want reform. And we can pressure our representatives to actually implement important reforms to this law and protect our data from this redirection and misuse.
Video examples
A robot that runs and...
So a simple geometrical system that kind of coordinates a bit the internal movement of the segments. A second property of cat limbs is that they are very lightweight. Most of the muscles are in the trunk, which is a good idea, because then the limbs have low inertia and can be moved very rapidly. The last final important property is this very elastic behavior of the cat limb,
Video examples
Parag Khanna maps the...
But I believe that the inertia of the existing borders that we have today is far worse and far more violent. The question is how do we change those borders, and what lines do we focus on? I believe we focus on the lines that cross borders, the infrastructure lines. Then we'll wind up with the world we want, a borderless one.
Video examples
Fireworks PIPE I Didn't...
two perfectly forming rings of stars a central ring and an outer ring the outer ring made of stars of a slightly larger size therefore they'll be heavier and when they burst in the middle ignites these stars and blows them in the circle formation the inertia of the heavier larger stars will travel further thus in
Video examples
A simple 2-step plan for...
is shown to help you save more. Researchers believe that passive systems like this are successful, because they work with our tendency towards inertia. You don't have to manually initiate each subsequent transfer, and you won't be tempted to hold back a bit every time you make a savings transfer.
Video examples
Bono: The good news on...
want to be free, and when they're free, liberty is usually around the corner, even for the poorest of the poor -- facts that can challenge cynicism and the apathy that leads to inertia, facts that tell us what's working and, more importantly, what's not, so we can fix it,
Video examples
Robots that fly ... and...
the robot naturally becomes agile. So here, R is the characteristic length of the robot. It's actually half the diameter. And there are lots of physical parameters that change as you reduce R. The one that's most important is the inertia, or the resistance to motion.
Video examples
How motivation can fix...
In fact, this approach of using the citizen to trigger motivation is not even limited to public health systems. I sincerely believe that if there is any public system, in any country, that is in inertia, then we need to bring back the motivation.
Video examples
The good news on poverty...
the corner even for the poorest of the poor facts that can challenge cynicism and the apathy that leads to inertia facts that tell us what's working and more importantly what's not so we can fix it facts that if we hear them and heed them
Video examples
My life as an outsider PIPE...
another aspect of our lives which I find fascinating is this need in which our lives are evolving from the speed of the body to the speed of consumption to the economy and inertia the next project starts off with the crystallized moment
Video examples
How the US government...
which means that Congress's inertia is on our side if we want reform. And we can pressure our representatives to actually implement important reforms to this law and protect our data from this redirection and misuse.
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Daley Thompson
English Athlete
If you work hard in real life, people tend to get in your way - either from inertia or prejudice - and they stop you achieving things. It's the worst thing about real life compared with sports, where you generally get what you deserve: if you're the fastest guy, you win; there are no other games being played.
Quote examples
John Kenneth Galbraith
American Economist
Total physical and mental inertia are highly agreeable, much more so than we allow ourselves to imagine. A beach not only permits such inertia but enforces it, thus neatly eliminating all problems of guilt. It is now the only place in our overly active world that does.
Quote examples
Jordan Peterson
Canadian Psychologist
As pessimistic as I am about the nature of human beings and our capacity for atrocity and malevolence and betrayal and laziness and inertia, and all those things, I think we can transcend all that and set things straight.
Quote examples
Erik Brynjolfsson
American Educator
Technology has made it easier for different firms to coordinate their activities with one another, and they don't have to be part of one company. They can get the benefits of scale without the inertia of scale.
Quote examples
Simon Travaglia
Author
What I think we fear is rapid, pronounced, and uncontrollable changes to ourselves, and because of this we have a form of personality inertia - something that resists rapid change.
Quote examples
Deepak Chopra
American Speaker
The real key is to live in an environment where the mind feels free to choose the right thing instead of being compelled by habit and inertia to choose the wrong thing.
Quote examples
Andrew Mason
American Businessman
Once you have something so deeply infused in your culture and your brand, it would be very difficult to reverse that inertia if you wanted to.
Quote examples
Elbert Hubbard
American Writer
The reason men oppose progress is not that they hate progress, but that they love inertia.
Quote examples
Henri Bergson
French Philosopher
Genius is that which forces the inertia of humanity to learn.
Quote examples
Maurice Strong
Canadian Businessman
Inertia is a powerful force in human and political affairs.
Quote examples
Daley Thompson
English Athlete
If you work hard in real life, people tend to get in your way - either from inertia or prejudice - and they stop you achieving things. It's the worst thing about real life compared with sports, where you generally get what you deserve: if you're the fastest guy, you win; there are no other games being played.
Quote examples
John Kenneth Galbraith
American Economist
Total physical and mental inertia are highly agreeable, much more so than we allow ourselves to imagine. A beach not only permits such inertia but enforces it, thus neatly eliminating all problems of guilt. It is now the only place in our overly active world that does.
Quote examples
Jordan Peterson
Canadian Psychologist
As pessimistic as I am about the nature of human beings and our capacity for atrocity and malevolence and betrayal and laziness and inertia, and all those things, I think we can transcend all that and set things straight.
Quote examples
Erik Brynjolfsson
American Educator
Technology has made it easier for different firms to coordinate their activities with one another, and they don't have to be part of one company. They can get the benefits of scale without the inertia of scale.
Quote examples
Simon Travaglia
Author
What I think we fear is rapid, pronounced, and uncontrollable changes to ourselves, and because of this we have a form of personality inertia - something that resists rapid change.
Quote examples
Deepak Chopra
American Speaker
The real key is to live in an environment where the mind feels free to choose the right thing instead of being compelled by habit and inertia to choose the wrong thing.
Quote examples
Andrew Mason
American Businessman
Once you have something so deeply infused in your culture and your brand, it would be very difficult to reverse that inertia if you wanted to.
Quote examples
Elbert Hubbard
American Writer
The reason men oppose progress is not that they hate progress, but that they love inertia.
Quote examples
Henri Bergson
French Philosopher
Genius is that which forces the inertia of humanity to learn.
Quote examples
Maurice Strong
Canadian Businessman
Inertia is a powerful force in human and political affairs.
Example 1 of 10
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