Inertial frame of reference

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In classical physics and special relativity, an inertial frame of reference (also called inertial space, or Galilean reference frame) is a frame of reference in which the laws of nature take on a particularly simple form.

All frames of reference with zero acceleration are in a state of constant, rectilinear motion (straight line motion) with respect to one another. In such a frame, an object with zero net force acting on it is perceived to move with a constant velocity, or, equivalently, Newton's first law of motion holds. Those are the frames called inertial. Originally, some physicists like Isaac Newton thought that one of those frames was absolute — the one approximated by the fixed stars. However, this is not required for the definition, and it is now known that those stars are in fact moving.

According to the special principle of relativity, all physical laws look the same in all inertial reference frames, and no inertial frame is privileged over the other. Measurements of objects in one inertial frame can be converted to measurements in another by a simple transformation — the Galilean transformation in Newtonian physics or the Lorentz transformation (combined with a translation) in special relativity; these approximately match when the relative speed of the frames is low, but differ as it approaches the speed of light.

By contrast, a non-inertial reference frame has nonzero acceleration. In such a frame, the interactions between physical objects vary depending on the acceleration of that frame with respect to an inertial frame. Viewed from the perspective of classical mechanics and special relativity, the 'usual' physical forces caused by the interaction of objects have to be supplemented by fictitious forces caused by inertia.^[1][2] Viewed from the perspective of general relativity theory, the inertial (i.e. fictitious) forces are attributed to geodesic motion in spacetime.

Due to Earth's rotation, its surface is not an inertial frame of reference. The Coriolis effect can deflect certain forms of motion as seen from Earth, and the centrifugal force will reduce the effective gravity at the equator. Nevertheless, it is a good approximation of an inertial reference frame in many low precision applications.