Question

Two friends, Amit and Pradeep, decided to visit different countries. Amit went to Gabon while Pradeep went to Sweden. Based on their current locations, which of the following might be true?

• A. The tangential velocity of Earth at Pradeep's place is less than that of Amit's place.
• B. The tangential velocity of Earth at Amit's place is nearly equal to 1040.4 miles per hour.
• C. The angular velocity of Earth at Amit's place is more than that of Pradeep's place.
• D. The tangential velocity of Earth at both the places will be equal and constant with respect to time.

Answer 1

Answer: (A), (B)

The correct options are
A The tangential velocity of Earth at Pradeep's place is less than that of Amit's place.
B The tangential velocity of Earth at Amit's place is nearly equal to 1040.4 miles per hour.

The angular velocity of Earth is its rate of change of angular displacement. It is constant at every point on the Earth. It is 0.00418° per second. The tangential velocity of Earth at the Equator is 1674.4 km per hour (nearly equal to 1040.4 miles per hour). But, the tangential velocity varies according to the location. It decreases as we move away from the Equator. This is because the distance between a point on the Earth and its axis decreases. It reduces the distance that a point needs to travel in one rotation of the Earth. Since Gabon is relatively nearer to the equator compared to Swedan, the tangential velocity of Amit's place (in Gabon) is 1040.4 miles per hour. Also, the tangential velocity of the Earth at Pradeep's place (in Swedan) is less than that of Amit's place (in Gabon).