POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.off-topic : XKCD is amusing for once... : Re: XKCD is amusing for once... Server Time
7 Sep 2024 05:12:18 EDT (-0400)
  Re: XKCD is amusing for once...  
From: scott
Date: 21 Nov 2008 03:04:15
Message: <49266b7f@news.povray.org>
>> Earth is rotating.  If the Earth rotated at the right speed then there
>> would
>> essentially be no downwards force (at least on the equator) and
>> everything
>> would float.
>
> Question:  Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that everything in
> contact with the Earth's surface would float?

No, even things in the air would appear to float because everything is going 
at the right speed to essentially "orbit" the Earth (ok a few m/s difference 
between 6400km and 6400.001km from the centre, but...).

Just like if you fire a rocket horizontally at the right speed (with no 
drag, eg on the moon) it will stay at exactly that height and orbit the 
moon.  Spinning the Earth fast enough would essentially make everything 
orbit the Earth around the equator, the force of gravity would be exactly 
right to keep everything floating at that speed.

But also the air would be floating now, so who knows what would happen to 
the atmosphere!

Oh and you might get a headache from the very fast day/night cycles ;-)


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