Which term describes the capacity of an object to remain in its current state of rest or motion?

The term that describes the capacity of an object to remain in its current state of rest or motion is inertia. Inertia is a fundamental principle in physics that refers to an object's resistance to any change in its motion. This means that an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will continue to move at a constant velocity in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.

Inertia is directly related to the mass of an object; the greater the mass, the greater its inertia. This concept is crucial to understanding Newton's First Law of Motion, which states that an object will not change its state of motion unless a net external force is applied.

Momentum, velocity, and force are related concepts but do not describe the resistance to changes in motion in the same way. Momentum is the product of mass and velocity, indicating how much motion an object has. Velocity is a vector quantity that describes the speed and direction of an object's motion. Force, on the other hand, is any interaction that, when unopposed, will change the motion of an object. While all these terms play a role in understanding motion, it is inertia that specifically defines the property of an object to maintain its current state.