"Spinning Earth" theorists, nutters or onto something?
Discussion
Anyone a bit cleverer than me remember how to calculate centripetal force?
I'm fairly sure it depended upon angular velocity and radius, so should be notably different at the equator to, say, the UK. Hence gravity should measure weaker at the equator (as there is higher centripetal force counteracting it) than it does here.
For that matter, gravity should also feel stronger in Scotland than Daarn Saarf. Are people therefore taller in London than in Glasgow?
Anyway, it's all bollix, everyone knows the world is flat and stationary at the centre of the universe, everything else merely orbiting the Earth. God wouldn't have it any other way, brothers.
I'm fairly sure it depended upon angular velocity and radius, so should be notably different at the equator to, say, the UK. Hence gravity should measure weaker at the equator (as there is higher centripetal force counteracting it) than it does here.
For that matter, gravity should also feel stronger in Scotland than Daarn Saarf. Are people therefore taller in London than in Glasgow?
Anyway, it's all bollix, everyone knows the world is flat and stationary at the centre of the universe, everything else merely orbiting the Earth. God wouldn't have it any other way, brothers.
Actually, I think I've mixed up my centripetal with my centrifugal.
Anyway, I was rattling on about whichever one would try to fling me off the surface of a rotating planet, opposing the action of gravity keeping me stuck down to said planet.
Perhaps I should have just stuck to drinking, this thinking lark has turned out to be tricky.
Anyway, I was rattling on about whichever one would try to fling me off the surface of a rotating planet, opposing the action of gravity keeping me stuck down to said planet.
Perhaps I should have just stuck to drinking, this thinking lark has turned out to be tricky.
matthias73 said:
This thread has made my week 
anyway to business:
If I were to jump really high whilst standing next to a pond, would the earth's spinning position the pond beneath my feet whilst I was in the air?
That's why if you look at any major athletic stadium the run up for the long jump is always facing West.anyway to business:
If I were to jump really high whilst standing next to a pond, would the earth's spinning position the pond beneath my feet whilst I was in the air?
Jonny_ said:
I'm fairly sure it depended upon angular velocity and radius, so should be notably different at the equator to, say, the UK. Hence gravity should measure weaker at the equator (as there is higher centripetal force counteracting it) than it does here.
The equator's the widest point the earth so the there's more mass under you standing there hence the gravity's strongest at the equator.Jonny_ said:
Anyone a bit cleverer than me remember how to calculate centripetal force?
I'm fairly sure it depended upon angular velocity and radius, so should be notably different at the equator to, say, the UK. Hence gravity should measure weaker at the equator (as there is higher centripetal force counteracting it) than it does here.
Can't find anyone cleverer than you, so I'll have to have a go.I'm fairly sure it depended upon angular velocity and radius, so should be notably different at the equator to, say, the UK. Hence gravity should measure weaker at the equator (as there is higher centripetal force counteracting it) than it does here.
Formula for centripetal acceleration (in metres per sec squared) is rz^2 where r is the radius in metres and z is the angular velocity in radians per second. (It's usually called omega, not z, but I don't know where I can get Greek letters. Or French letters, for that matter
.)r = 6,400,000 at the equator, near enough.
z = 2Pi radians in 24 hours, or 0.00007272 radians per second (pretty small, obviously: with just one rotation in 24 hours, you aren't rotating much in just one second).
So centripetal accel = 6,400,000 x 0.00007272 x 0.00007272 which comes to about 0.03 m/sec squared.
So, at the equator, the gravitational acceleration is about 9.81 - 0.03, ie about 9.78 m/sec squ.
The difference is so small as to be unnoticeable.
Edited by Tony2or4 on Monday 14th April 00:48
Iklwa said:
I tried, I read the responses, I thought long and hard about it, but no! it doesn't work. I thought "it's like being in car tyre, the air in the tyre spins at the same speed as the wheel", but we'd fly off, how can gravity exactly counteract the spinning forces that are so huge?
Maybe Im wrong, but it's like you are all some sort of brainwashed mass out to try and convince me (us?) that Im/we are wrong, like the computer guy in the Matrix "sure, this is the real world, and it spins really fast and a giant ball of gas in the sky doesn't just explode in one giant explosion because, well, it doesnt, and the gravity makes us stick to something doing over 1000KM/h, yet we don't feel any consequence of this whatsoever". You guys, whatever and whoever you are, you won't change my mind, you wont silence me, I am the start of the non spinning world revolution, and I will free others, and together we'll overthrow this ridiculous train of thought.
Gotta be a wind up. OK, if the there are good freebies and a nice design on a mug, I might sign up for the news letter.Maybe Im wrong, but it's like you are all some sort of brainwashed mass out to try and convince me (us?) that Im/we are wrong, like the computer guy in the Matrix "sure, this is the real world, and it spins really fast and a giant ball of gas in the sky doesn't just explode in one giant explosion because, well, it doesnt, and the gravity makes us stick to something doing over 1000KM/h, yet we don't feel any consequence of this whatsoever". You guys, whatever and whoever you are, you won't change my mind, you wont silence me, I am the start of the non spinning world revolution, and I will free others, and together we'll overthrow this ridiculous train of thought.
Jonny_ said:
Actually, I think I've mixed up my centripetal with my centrifugal.
http://xkcd.com/123/
Tony2or4 said:
Can't find anyone cleverer than you, so I'll have to have a go.
Formula for centripetal acceleration (in metres per sec squared) is rz^2 where r is the radius in metres and z is the angular velocity in radians per second. (It's usually called omega, not z, but I don't know where I can get Greek letters. Or French letters, for that matter.)
r = 6,400,000 at the equator, near enough.
z = 2Pi radians in 24 hours, or 0.00007272 radians per second (pretty small, obviously: with just one rotation in 24 hours, you aren't rotating much in just one second).
So centripetal accel = 6,400,000 x 0.00007272 x 0.00007272 which comes to about 0.03 m/sec squared.
So, at the equator, the gravitational acceleration is about 9.81 - 0.03, ie about 9.78 m/sec squ.
The difference is so small as to be unnoticeable.
Formula for centripetal acceleration (in metres per sec squared) is rz^2 where r is the radius in metres and z is the angular velocity in radians per second. (It's usually called omega, not z, but I don't know where I can get Greek letters. Or French letters, for that matter
.)r = 6,400,000 at the equator, near enough.
z = 2Pi radians in 24 hours, or 0.00007272 radians per second (pretty small, obviously: with just one rotation in 24 hours, you aren't rotating much in just one second).
So centripetal accel = 6,400,000 x 0.00007272 x 0.00007272 which comes to about 0.03 m/sec squared.
So, at the equator, the gravitational acceleration is about 9.81 - 0.03, ie about 9.78 m/sec squ.
The difference is so small as to be unnoticeable.
Edited by Tony2or4 on Monday 14th April 00:48
Excellent work Tony! Although it's put paid to my plan for Equatorial Weight Watchers... ("See how those extra pounds vanish after only a few hours on our SuperDuperSlimmingPlane! Guaranteed weight loss valid until the return trip...")
Oh, and the Bond cartoon is ace
Squirrelofwoe said:
Munter said:
Robb F said:
This is a joke right.
It's just I remember the guy who thought 'almost' perpetual motion was a thing, and he was deadly serious...
Was he the one who wanted to attach a 2Kw motor to a 5Kw generator and drive a car with the resulting 3 Kw spare energy....It's just I remember the guy who thought 'almost' perpetual motion was a thing, and he was deadly serious...
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