VCE Physical Education Practice Exam

According to Newton's first law of motion, an object at rest will remain at rest unless it is acted upon by an external force. This principle highlights the concept of inertia, which is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. In practical terms, this means that if no force is applied to an object, it will not start moving on its own. This law is foundational in understanding the behavior of objects, both at rest and in motion.

The other options suggest actions that would contradict the principle of inertia. For example, the idea that an object will move unless pushed implies that movement is the default state for all objects, which is not the case according to Newton's law. Similarly, the notion that an object at rest will gradually accelerate over time or adopt a state of motion does not account for the requirement of an external force to change the object's state of rest. Thus, the correct statement aligns perfectly with the fundamental understanding of Newton's first law.