Earth is our home planet. It is the only known planet to have large amounts of water and the only planet where life is known to exist. It has wind that blows and seasons that change. But have you imagined, what if the Earth stopped spinning? Well, the good news is that if the Earth stopped spinning, we wouldn’t fall off.
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Earth and Laws of Motion
Before understanding this fact we should know Newton’s First Law of Motion. According to the first law which is also known as the law of inertia, if an object is at rest then it continues to stay at rest, or if it’s in motion it remains in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless an external and opposite force is applied to it. This behavior is known as inertia.
We all know that the Earth, the Sun, and our entire solar system does not experience any external force. Therefore, all the planets keep spinning since their creation due to inertia. In this article, let us discuss in detail what would happen if Earth stopped spinning?.
What if the Earth Stopped Spinning?
Let us know the answer to this question “What if the Earth Stopped Spinning?”.
If the Earth suddenly stopped spinning, most of our planet would become very inhospitable. The Earth spins at a speed of almost 1700 km/h and a sudden stop of our planet would displace everything that’s not firmly fixed to the bedrock. This is due to the inertia of motion as explained previously. The reason for this is that, despite the spinning of Earth being stopped, the atmosphere will continue to be in motion with a speed of 1700 km/hr sweeping off everything in the ground like huge rocks, vehicles, buildings, along with us.
Due to this, the ecosystem on Earth will be wiped out completely. Along with it the 24-hour ‘system’ that we divide existence into, would be altered. A day that is equal to 24 hours now will become 6 months. Thus, there will be 6 months of daytime and 6 months of nighttime. In the daytime, the side of the Earth-facing the Sun will experience fiery summers, while the side facing away from the Sun would face deadly winters. This will result in giant storms that would rage for ages.
Now, this was just a hypothetical scenario and you can rest assured that this is not going to happen, at least not for a few billion years.
To know the answer to this question, what if the earth stopped spinning, see the video below.
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Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
What is the speed at which the earth spins?
State Newton’s First Law of Motion.
Newton’s 1st Law of Motion states that a body at rest or uniform motion will continue to be at rest or uniform motion until and unless a net external force acts on it.
State true or false: If the Earth stopped spinning, 6 months of daytime and 6 months of nighttime would be experienced.
TRUE
What would happen if Earth stopped spinning?
Does the Earth witness the change in season and weather?
Yes, the Earth experiences a change in season and weather.
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