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![[parent]](https://images.physicslibrary.org/images/uparrow.png) Viewing Correction to 'reference frames in newtonian physics'
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Distinguish a physical reference frame from a coordinate system by bloftin
Correction id: 87
Filed on: 2026-09-26 04:31:59
Status: Pending
Type: Erratum
Correction text:
Current idea: the coordinate system in which Newton's laws are valid is called an inertial reference frame.
Recommended correction: a reference frame is the physical state of motion of the observer or spatial axes used to describe motion; a coordinate system is a numerical labeling scheme within a frame. In introductory Newtonian mechanics, an inertial frame is a frame in which a free particle moves with constant velocity and Newton's laws take their standard form without inertial-force terms.
Suggested wording:
An inertial reference frame is a frame in which a free particle, subject to zero net real force, moves with constant velocity. Cartesian, cylindrical, or other coordinates may be used within the same physical frame; the coordinate labels themselves do not determine whether the frame is inertial.
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