When I bumped the table, the coffee in my cup spilled out. Newton's _____ law explains this reaction.
1st
2nd
3rd
The coffee just kept going the same way you were going before you hit the table. That is the first law, No force ---> no change of momentum
Newton's 1st law explains this reaction.
To understand why, we need to know about Newton's three laws of motion.
Newton's 1st law, also known as the law of inertia, states that an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force.
When you bumped the table, it acted as an external force on the cup of coffee. According to Newton's 1st law, the coffee in the cup, which was at rest, wanted to stay at rest. However, due to the force exerted by the table, the cup and its contents were accelerated forward. This sudden acceleration caused the coffee to spill out of the cup.
Therefore, Newton's 1st law explains the reaction of the spilled coffee when you bumped the table.