Neglecting wind friction, which direction would a stone travel furthest if thrown - East or West?

Question

Whatever the answer, explain why?

Answer 1

No difference, the inertia from the earth's rotation is constant, so the stone will go equally in either direction.

Just like if you're on a speeding train and throw a ball forward or backwards, it will go the same distance.

Answer 2

Ronin is correct -- there is no difference. The Earth's rotation becomes a factor only if you are attempting to put something into space; in this case, you go east because the rotation gets you another thousand miles an hour or so, basically for free. Similarly, the Earth's revolution about the sun becomes a factor only if you are attempting to launch an interplanetary vehicle, in which case you do get some extra kick by launching near the time of perihelion. If you are throwing a rock, however, and expect it to be in flight a few seconds, the earth's surface is such a good approximation to an inertial reference frame that you could not measure any difference.

Answer 3

Depends on your frame of reference.

If you are to measure along the ground with a tape measure, there would be no difference.

If you were to observe from outer space, the rotation of the Earth would add or subtract from the velocity of the throw. Since a point on the surface of the Earth goes eastward (making the sun appear to go west) there would be greater velocity and therefore greater distance if the stone would be thrown east.

Oh by the way, NASA rockets are fired in an easterly direction to take advantage of the velocity of the Earth's surface---so the rocket is travelling at hundreds miles per hour eastward even before it leaves the launch pad.

Answer 4

is someone thinking about earth's rotation being a factor? Not
Earth's rotation is not a factor because everything on earth is traveling at the same rate.
The same stone thrown hypothetically with equal force in either direction, east or west, and at the same vector or elevation, will travel the same distance.
There might be an infinitesimally small effect by the moon and sun at various times due to the same forces which effect the ocean tides.

Answer 5

Picture a person on a log running as fast as he could but he is staying still on top of the log. If he tried to run in the opposite direction, he would fly off quickly.
In theory, you should be running in the same direction as the earth to get a little extra speed brought about by the earths rotation. Because the horizon moves up in the west and down in the east, you should go west to east to run in the same direction.

Answer 6

It would travel farther in the direction of the Earth's rotation, in other words if ti is thrown eastwards. As the earth rotates, gravity is slightly less towards the east.

Answer 7

Depends on the topology. For instance, throw a stone west from the edge of the Continental Divide, it will go much further than if you throw it east.

But the rotation of the earth makes ZERO DIFFERENCE; because you are rotating with the earth as you throw.

Answer 8

East, at around local midnight, sometime in early January. This way you get 3 things working for you:

the rotation of the earth on its axis,
the momemtum of the earth going around the sun,
and the fact that perihelion, around Jan 3, the earth is moving fastest (so your stone covers more distance before falling back to earth).

All distances/locations measured using the sun's reference frame.

Answer 9

East, although the difference might be negligible. Throwing Westward, you are adding the difference the Earth rotated while the stone is airborne.

Answer 10

east, cos the earth rotates from east to west.so while the stone is in fllight the earth would move making the stone travel that little bit more relative to your throwing point