According to Newton's first law, what occurs if no external force acts on a body?

The principle articulated in Newton's first law of motion states that an object will maintain its current state of motion unless acted upon by an external force. This encompasses two conditions: a body at rest will remain at rest, and a body in motion will continue in motion at a constant velocity along a straight line. This law highlights the concept of inertia, which is the tendency of objects to resist changes in their state of motion.

In scenarios where no external forces are present—such as friction, gravitational forces, or other opposing forces—both stationary objects and moving objects will not deviate from their current state. Thus, a body that is not moving will remain stationary, while a body that is moving will not slow down or change its direction unless affected by an external force.

The other options misconstrue this fundamental concept. They suggest that bodies will lose motion or come to rest over time, which only occurs if an external force is applied to counteract their motion, or they imply indefinite acceleration without recognizing the need for an external force to cause such a change. Therefore, the accurate interpretation of Newton's first law is that an object remains in its state of motion or rest unless an external influence acts upon it, which aligns perfectly with the initial choice provided