We typically describe the effort needed to change an object’s state of motion by saying that we must push, hit, or pull the object.
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Some effort is required to put a stationary object into motion or to stop a moving object, which we ordinarily experience as a muscular effort.
Such observations suggested that rest is the natural state of an object because the ball would come to a stop after a short distance, implying that objects naturally tend to be at rest unless acted upon by a force.
Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton developed a new approach to understanding motion that differed from the earlier belief that rest is the natural state of an object.
The prevailing belief was that rest is the “natural state” of an object. This conclusion was drawn from observations such as a ball on the ground not moving indefinitely after being given a small hit.