Finding it hard to push a heavy box initially and equally hard to stop it once it’s moving illustrates which physical principle?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. Inertia.
The difficulty in pushing a heavy box at first and the equal difficulty in stopping it once it is moving both illustrate inertia, a fundamental concept in Newton’s First Law of Motion. Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. A heavy box has more mass, so it has greater inertia, making it harder to start moving from rest. Once in motion, the same inertia makes it difficult to stop immediately. The other options—acceleration, conservation of energy, and friction—are related concepts but do not specifically explain the resistance to starting or stopping motion as clearly as inertia does.