What does Newton's First Law state about objects at rest and in motion?

Newton's First Law of Motion, often referred to as the law of inertia, indicates that an object in motion will remain in motion at a constant velocity and in a straight line unless acted upon by a net external force. This means that if no forces are acting on an object, it will maintain its current state of motion, whether that is at rest or moving. Therefore, the statement that an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon correctly captures this principle, solidifying the concept that inertia is a property of matter that resists changes to its state of motion.

In contrast, while the idea of changing direction or speeding up is related to forces and motion, these concepts do not encapsulate the essence of Newton's First Law, which emphasizes the persistence of motion and rest in the absence of external influences. The idea that an object requires a force to remain at rest doesn't align with the law either, as an object at rest will stay at rest unless a force acts on it.