Hi everyone
I just read an article that explained why the Earth rotates and the speed at which it rotates. The Earth, at the equator, rotates at 1,070 mph!!!!!!!! THAT is amazing. However, I was confused about how they explained the calculation for other lines of latitude since at different latitudes the Earth rotates at different speeds due to its shape. It said "Speed decreases by the cosine of your latitude so that at a latitude of 45 degrees, cos(45) = .707 and the speed is .707 x 1670 = 1180 kilometers/hr. You can use this formula to find the speed of rotation at any latitude." Where did the 1670 come from? Maybe they converted mph to km/h but 1070mph ≠ 1670km/h. I'd like clarification on how to use this formula because I presume that you find the product of cosθ and circumference of Earth to find speed at latitude θ.
Here is the article
http://starryskies.com/articles/2007/11/earth-speed.html
ANOTHER question:
When cruising in an automobile, if i were to throw a ball in the air it should go back right? I've tried something similar but the effect was hardly noticeable. So i was wandering, if you were cruising in a plane and you threw something in the air... shouldn't it stream backwards really fast? This perplexes me... because the moment anything catches air after being tossed from a moving vehicle, it's gone. Now, on a much larger scale... the Earth is moving at 1070 mph... at what point above the earth's surface can you notice this speed. How far would I have to throw something in the air before it just shoots back like a bullet?
Thanks for your responses!!!!!!!!!
I just read an article that explained why the Earth rotates and the speed at which it rotates. The Earth, at the equator, rotates at 1,070 mph!!!!!!!! THAT is amazing. However, I was confused about how they explained the calculation for other lines of latitude since at different latitudes the Earth rotates at different speeds due to its shape. It said "Speed decreases by the cosine of your latitude so that at a latitude of 45 degrees, cos(45) = .707 and the speed is .707 x 1670 = 1180 kilometers/hr. You can use this formula to find the speed of rotation at any latitude." Where did the 1670 come from? Maybe they converted mph to km/h but 1070mph ≠ 1670km/h. I'd like clarification on how to use this formula because I presume that you find the product of cosθ and circumference of Earth to find speed at latitude θ.
Here is the article
http://starryskies.com/articles/2007/11/earth-speed.html
ANOTHER question:
When cruising in an automobile, if i were to throw a ball in the air it should go back right? I've tried something similar but the effect was hardly noticeable. So i was wandering, if you were cruising in a plane and you threw something in the air... shouldn't it stream backwards really fast? This perplexes me... because the moment anything catches air after being tossed from a moving vehicle, it's gone. Now, on a much larger scale... the Earth is moving at 1070 mph... at what point above the earth's surface can you notice this speed. How far would I have to throw something in the air before it just shoots back like a bullet?
Thanks for your responses!!!!!!!!!
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