What causes the earth to spin/rotate on its axis?

Question

Do other planets spin/rotate as the earth?

Answer 1

The basic answer for the earth is that it (is believed to have) condensed in a rotating cloud of dust and fragments, so it was spinning at the start, and it's still spinning because there has never been anything to stop it. Yes, nearly all the other planets do the same. Mercury was robbed of its spin by tidal interaction with the Sun, but at the Earth's distance, the effect is too weak to have affected us significantly yet.

Answer 2

The Earth is still spinning on its axis because it formed out of gas and dust that were spinning, and the forces acting on it to slow it down haven't stopped it yet.

Current star- and plant-formation theory states that planets form from a spinning proto-planetary disk. This disk is made of interstellar gas and dust, and spins because the interstellar gas had some small spin. The law of "conservation of angular momentum" says that the spin will continue until forces act to reduce or increase that spin.

The Earth is spinning slower now than in the past. Over several billion years, the Moon has caused the length of the day to increase by about a factor of two.

All the planets spin somewhat---a little or a lot. Mercury spins very slowly, Saturn very fast.

Answer 3

The Earth spins on its axis because of conservation of angular momentum. The classic example of this is a figure skater. When a figure skater pulls in her arms, she spins faster. The Earth formed when gas left over from making the Sun condensed into the planets. As this gas cooled and condensed, it started to spin faster. Now that it is spinning (and not condensing any more), it will keep spinning at a steady rate unless something stops it.

Answer 4

Most of you guy's are right the earth has spun since the formation of the earth due to angular momentum ;
But why does it still spin now?

Our everyday experience adequately teaches us that an object must be "pushed" by a force in order to keep it moving. Otherwise, it will slow down and eventually stop. But this intuition is absolutely wrong. If an object is moving, then a force is required *to slow it down or stop it*, not to keep it moving. (Hence, "Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest.") In our everyday experience, it's the force of friction that tends to stop Earth-bound objects from moving forever. But for the Earth rotating on its axis, there is no force working to counteract the rotation (except the tidal effect of the Moon, but that's working very slowly), so you don't essential need to have any input energy to keep it spinning.
therefore the earth is spinning because there are no factors to slow it down.
There is no friction in space.

Answer 5

The Earth and other major bodies of the solar system formed within an immense cloud of drifting gases and dust (..called a 'nebula'). This nebula had motion, and as our sun and the planets formed they each took on some of that motion so that even today, billions of years later, the sun and planets rotate on their axes.

Answer 6

all of the ones in the solar system yes, though the axis tilt varies. It is believe that the variations in the tilt are due to collisions during the phase of formation of the solar system.

the planets (and the sun) rotate because the initial cloud of "dust" was rotating.

now why was that cloud rotating, good question.

Answer 7

there's a really straightforward reason for this when you're not from now on closed minded and in no way open to the actuality. Noah's flood brought with regard to the lean of the earth. It replaced into no longer the commonly used flood of water overflowing banks. It replaced into really violent with water bursting from the floor of the earth besides because the deluge from the collapsed cover that secure the earth on the on the spot. listed lower than are factors to help this reality ( no longer idea ). a million. Scientists have concluded that in the present day, might want to the mountains and the sea flooring all be leveled out the sea might want to conceal the international on the fringe of a mile severe. a lot for there replaced into in no way a international huge flood and the position did all the water bypass. 2. plants discovered contained in the mouths of animals frozen contained in the thick ice replaced into discovered to be of the form grown in hotter climates than are cutting-edge on the places ( arctic circle) the position those artifacts are discovered in the present day. this shows the total international experienced a a lot milder climate previous to the flood. end? The earth replaced into no longer tilted before the flood. 3. there is not any evidence of iciness before Noah's flood. 4. The mile severe ice cutting-edge in some aspects of the poles propose iciness got here with out word. it is supported with the help of a few mammoths discovered frozen in such ice nevertheless had nutrients of their mouths. also, the nutrients of their abdomen replaced into frozen with out any signal of rotting. Scientists concluded for this to take position the temperature had to have dropped really immediately. 5. The surprising tilting of the earth in the course of the flood might want to describe the mile severe thickness of ice discovered on the poles for decrease than on the time of the flood replaced into water that prime. 6. finally, the tilting on the time of Noah's flood is the surely rationalization supported with the help of the archaeological evidence got here upon. reality is, in case you refuse to even entertain the chance that the bible is a correct heritage of this international, then you definately will be liable to fall for flippant theories like a planet crashing into earth and tilting it. i'll spin this kind of idea and also you may in all probability trust. How about a huge volcanic blast propelled area of the earth (the moon) from the figure body and brought with regard to the figure body (the earth) to tilt. basically shop in ideas, he who believes in no longer something will fall for something.