Basic Mechanics and Newton's three laws are a good place to start:
I. If the net outside forces acting on a system are equal to zero, then the body is in equilibrium, or it continues to do whatever it is doing... (be that translating(moving in a straight line), rotating(spinning about an axis), or at rest (in YOUR reference frame)).
II. This is the law regarding force. Force is the change in inertia of a body. If a net external force acts upon a system/body the system/body accelerates in the direction of the NET force. With vectors this net force magnitude is equal to the body/system's acceleration times its mass. Also, I mention vectors because they are going to be how you define what the net direction/magnitude of the accleration is.
III. This law is the most commonly known law. It is the law of action and reaction, or causality. For any given force exerted on an object by another object, there is an equal and opposite force (reaction) exerted upon the original object. This however, may lead to different results for each object, depending on several factors, some of which include other forces acting upon the objects which are independent of the said action/reaction, and mass (this is important in conservation of momentum).
If you want to learn more, I suggest getting a book of some sort. Assuming that you are AS, hackermage, I would suggest a high school physics book (if you are JH or older), and if you are older than HS, get Feynman's Lectures On Physics. They are simply amazing and relate physics to everything, as it should be taught.
If you want to discuss anything in mechanics in more detail, just ask, I dont promise an answer but I'd love to start some threads on tihs stuff.
_________________
Life's a wave, learn to ride it.