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GCSE Physics · key term
A measure of how difficult it is to change an object's velocity; it is equal to the ratio of resultant force to acceleration.
Used by Edexcel and OCR
Specification 2.22, 2.31 · Paper 1
Revise: Inertial MassInertial mass measures how difficult it is to change an object's velocity, including how difficult it is to accelerate it from rest. An object with a greater inertial mass requires a greater resultant force to produce the same acceleration.
The resistance of an object to a change in its velocity; an object with greater mass requires a greater force for the same acceleration.
When defining inertial mass, refer to the difficulty of changing an object's velocity, including setting it in motion from rest. Saying only that it is “hard to move” is too vague.
For objects experiencing the same resultant force, the one with the smallest acceleration has the greatest inertial mass.
Do not confuse acceleration with velocity: a greater inertial mass produces a smaller change in velocity per second for the same resultant force.
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Specification P2.2j · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher)
The mass defined by the ratio of the resultant force acting on an object to the acceleration it produces.
Revise: InertiaInertial mass gives a quantitative measure of how difficult it is to change an object's velocity.
Paper 1, Paper 2
A measure of how difficult it is to change an object’s velocity, defined by .