The classic Newtonian laws of motions are applicable to your car or to any physical object for that matter. It does not matter if your car is running or parked. The laws of motion always apply. The first law of motion, also known as the law of inertia, is particularly applicable to your car whether it is running or simply idling on the garage. This law can be stated as: “The state of motion of an object, either at rest or moving, can only change if acted upon by external force.” Hence, inertia can be defined as the tendency of an object to remain in its state of motion.
Inertia is directly related to the mass of your car. A heavier car has greater inertia compared to a lighter car. How then does this apply to car design? Well, inertia is one of the basic parameters of car design. Since inertia has to be counteracted, engine designs have to be configured in relation to the inertia of a particular automobile. The engine must have enough power to move the car. On the other hand, the design of the brake system is also based on considering the inertia of the car. Brake systems must be designed in such a way that they will have enough brake force to counteract the motion of the car.
Your car’s inertia is determined by many factors. The inertia changes depending on the determining factors. These factors include the mass of the car, the velocity of the car, the energy or power input, and friction force. Friction force includes the brake force,a the wind drag, and the tire traction. Since mass cannot be conveniently modified, the other factors of inertia are the ones that are directly controlled. For instance, velocity can be easily control by simply stepping on the gas pedal and brake pedal. Aside from mass, other factors are already built-in and cannot be conveniently modified.
