EV3 Phi. Inertia. Simple explanation and example Pro Preview

The cup falls from the robot for two reasons. First, inertia. Second, acceleration. They are very tightly connected so it's a good idea to now discuss what is inertia and what is acceleration.

Inertia, not the scientific definition but a definition that I'll give in this video. Inertia is the desire of an object like a cup of coffee constructed from Lego parts to keep moving the way it is moving. Sometimes you might here about some person that's called that's being inert. Usually, old people with a lot of experience will keep doing things the way they know it works. Back to the inertia for robots and for all other objects. Every object like a robot or a construction every object is trying to maintain its current movement. If you try to stop a bike while you are moving downhill it will try to keep moving. If you try to move the bike at rest, it will remain at rest. Same applies for the cup of the robot. When the robot and the cup are at rest the cup tries to remain at rest and it falls behind when you accelerate. When the robot is moving and suddenly stops the cup will try to maintain its current movement so it just moves forward and it will fall from the robot. Again, to see it as an example.

Because the robot stops but the robot with the cup has some inertia the cup will continue.

Now, the robot does not continue because we have the wheels and we have the tires and there is some friction between the tires and the table and that's why to robot stops. But for the cup the cup just continues.