inertial system

noun Physics.

a frame of reference in which a body remains at rest or moves with constant linear velocity unless acted upon by forces: any frame of reference that moves with constant velocity relative to an inertial system is itself an inertial system.

Compare law of motion.

Origin of inertial system

First recorded in 1950–55

Also called inertial reference frame.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for inertial system

inertial system

noun

a frame of reference within which bodies are not accelerated unless acted upon by external forcesAlso called: inertial reference frame

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012