Newton’s first law states that if the net force (the vector sum of all forces acting on an object) is zero, then the velocity of the object is constant. Velocity is a vector quantity which expresses both the object’s speed and the direction of its motion; therefore, the statement that the object’s velocity is constant is a statement that both its speed and the direction of its motion are constant.
The first law can be stated mathematically as
Therefore:
- An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an unbalanced force acts upon it.
- An object that is in motion will not change its velocity unless an unbalanced force acts upon it. This is known as uniform motion.
Let’s apply this to people. A person that is active (in motion) will likely continue to remain active, likewise a lazy person (at rest) will continue to remain at rest unless acted upon by a separate force ( a cattle prod works wonders!)
Have you ever noticed that busy people are always busy? They tend to constantly be going and going and going, sort of like the Energizer bunny. Regardless of whether they are fueled by caffeine or not, they will always do more, and strive to do even more than they are currently doing. Busy people glance at the bodies at rest and wonder what is wrong with them. Don’t they have any drive? How can the y be content to just sit there? How can they waste time? There are things to be done, and even if others were to help the busy person has to do it themselves because nobody else will do it like they want.
Meanwhile at rest people resent being called lazy. They often have stuff going on, at a very relaxed pace. Eventually the opposite forces force them into action. Hunger can be a big motivator. Having bills to pay can be another. Most often it is the unrelenting whips an hounding of the busy person that forces them into action.
I see you looking at your watch – knock it off! You’re wondering when I’m going to get to the point because either a) you’re a busy person and you have things to do or b) you’re an at rest person and you want to get back to your rest. I’m getting there, a wise grasshopper waits patiently. (OK, a reference before many of your time, just go with it.)
Busy people really don’t accomplish that much when they are busy being busy. Trust me, I can be a master at being busy. A constant buzz of activity will only wear you out if you aren’t accomplishing anything. I almost wrote todays post as “10 ways to creatively waste time.” It’s amazing how the never-ending chain of links from one site to the next can lead you from the information I need, to beyond the limits of sanity.
Instead of Kevin Bacon’s 7 degrees of separation, We’re talking 5 degrees of Internet Infinitum; guaranteed to derail your best search efforts within 5 links. Try it, you’ll see but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I’m beginning to envy the bodies at rest. I feel exhausted and I’ve only accomplished one thing on my list. OK, ignore the fact that there are 27 items on the list. That’s not the point. I accomplished 1 thing. It will be two when I finish my blog, which is why I jumped over here to tackle this as it would be an easy check mark to add to my list. Do people at rest even have lists?
I’m tired of being busy and not accomplishing the things I think should be finished. All this whip cracking and hard-driving is accomplishing one thing – I envy my at rest friends. I don’t see them stressing over lists, over unfinished projects, or worrying about the tasks that seem to carry over endlessly to tomorrow’s list.
Can an object in motion ( a busy person) be acted upon by a force of equal or greater mass and /or velocity that transforms that motion into one of rest ( person at rest)? What sort of force will that take short of exhaustion or death? Is there a formula to estimate the mass and volume, and hurtling velocity of that force to determine whether the impact of that opposite force is going to be effective and what collateral damage will be sustained?
In every material universe, the motion of a particle in a preferential reference frame Φ is determined by the action of forces whose total vanished for all times when and only when the velocity of the particle is constant in Φ. That is, a particle initially at rest or in uniform motion in the preferential frame Φ continues in that state unless compelled by forces to change it.I am greatly envying my at rest friends right now, and their ability to remain calm. *breathing*What’s your style? Are you busy or at rest? If you’re at rest could you tell me how?Write on my friends, write on!
quotidiandose 