Why does the earth spin?

Ricochet J · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:11

It truly amazes me how a concept such as angular momentum which is applied to every day engineering applications is also applied on a larger astronomical scale.

[FnG]magnolia · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:12

vonhelmet said:
Well, unless it's got a diesel generator attached, I'd be pretty sure it's electricity. It'll be a motor that opens the gates, which will be driven electrically from the mains supply.

So I was unwittingly right? Awesome, haha

joey1211 · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:12

love makes the world go round

* hump, hump, hump
not lovey dovey

Vita · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:15

Say we got all the planes in the world, and attached them to the ground. And flew counter to the way the earth spins, would it stop it then?

Ricochet J · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:17

I have a question for all the physicists/theorists out there:

- If someone made the Earth rotate the wrong way round, and made the planets and moons orbit the wrong way round, and made everything else go backwards, would we go back in time?

I always wondered this when I watched that old Superman movie.

davedudes · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:19

Murray said:
so when someone asks what year it is do you say two-zero-one-two?

Why not?

BullBoyShoes · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:19

Tell your kid its so everyone gets a share of the sun

joey1211 · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:19

I'm no physicist but i'd say... maybe

Vonhelmet · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:20

Vita said:
Say we got all the planes in the world, and attached them to the ground. And flew counter to the way the earth spins, would it stop it then?

No. For one thing they'd be flying in the atmosphere which moves with the earth, so as soon as the rope became taut they'd fall. For another thing they'd be flying in the atmosphere which moves with the earth, so they wouldn't exert any force against the motion of the earth as they'd still be within the earth system.

Aod · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:22

Vita said:
Say we got all the planes in the world, and attached them to the ground. And flew counter to the way the earth spins, would it stop it then?

i doubt it, we don't have anywhere nearly enough aircraft.

<edit> was some other, more pertinent stuff, but it was wrong because i didn't read the question right

Vita · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:23

vonhelmet said:
No. For one thing they'd be flying in the atmosphere which moves with the earth, so as soon as the rope became taut they'd fall. For another thing they'd be flying in the atmosphere which moves with the earth, so they wouldn't exert any force against the motion of the earth as they'd still be within the earth system.

Hmm I see. NOTHING WILL STOP IT!

me227 · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:24

vonhelmet said:
No. For one thing they'd be flying in the atmosphere which moves with the earth, so as soon as the rope became taut they'd fall. For another thing they'd be flying in the atmosphere which moves with the earth, so they wouldn't exert any force against the motion of the earth as they'd still be within the earth system.

What if the planes were on treadmills?

Haircut · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:27

craig3000 said:
The bloke on star gazing live explained this and why everything spins in the same direction. All do to with how the planets formed in the first place.

Most things spin in the same direction, not quite everything.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus#Axial_tilt

Vonhelmet · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:31

me227 said:
What if the planes were on treadmills?

Then it would work just fine.

Morba · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:34

davedudes said:
2, 0, 1, 2 hence four little numbers

Surely that's 3 numbers

davedudes · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:36

Morba said:
Surely that's 3 numbers

Balls

mattyfez · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:40

Same way you do a swerve shot in snooker... plus gravity... voodoo.

Aod · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:40

Morba said:
Surely that's 3 numbers

I maintain that zero is a number!

Morba · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:44

Aod said:
I maintain that zero is a number!

Lol?

Nitefly · 12 Jan 2011 at 20:50

Left, right, left, right

Left and right
Like day and night
That's what makes the world go round
In and out
Thin and stout
That's what makes the world go round

\o/