Forces in the Atmosphere, Page 2 of 11

The original (albeit translated) statement of Newton's First Law is:

: " Every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed on it. "

In other words, without a (net) force, a stationary body will stay there and a moving body will keep moving at the same speed and direction. The converse is also true: if a body changes its speed or direction, a force MUST be acting on it.

What is a body in the atmosphere? (choose one answer to continue)

an individual molecule of air	the atmosphere as a whole	a clump of molecules

Questions or Comments

Technical: E-mail John Fulton < jdfult@nimbus.met.tamu.edu >
Scientific: E-mail Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon. < nielsen@ariel.met.tamu.edu >