What If Earth Stopped Spinning?

Imagine the Earth is like a giant toy spinning on an invisible wheel. If it suddenly stopped, everything not attached to the ground, like people and animals, would fly into the air and keep moving in the same direction until something stops them. The side of the Earth that was facing away from the sun would get super cold, while the side facing the sun would become extremely hot. It’s like when you're on a merry-go-round and it suddenly stops, you still feel like you're moving.

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Examples

  1. If you're on a swing and it stops suddenly, you'd fly forward, just like we’d all be thrown sideways if Earth stopped spinning.
  2. Imagine a giant fan suddenly turning off. The air around it keeps moving at first before it settles down, the atmosphere would do something similar on Earth.
  3. A person walking on the edge of a spinning planet would feel like they're being dragged sideways as soon as the rotation stops.

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Categories: Space · earth· gravity· rotation· space· science