However, it's important to understand that inertia itself is not a force, but rather a property of matter.

Here's the breakdown:

* Inertia: The tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. An object at rest wants to stay at rest, and an object in motion wants to stay in motion at the same speed and direction.

* Force: A push or pull that can change an object's motion (speed or direction).

How it works:

* To start an object moving, a force is needed to overcome inertia.

* To stop an object moving, a force is needed to overcome inertia.

* To change an object's direction, a force is needed to overcome inertia.

Key point: Inertia is the reason why objects *continue* to move once they're already in motion. No force is needed to *maintain* the motion, but a force is needed to *change* the motion.