The point of my quetion is that the Earth is rotating at some stupid rate, something like 10,000 mph and I was just wandering if this could happen! I know this is a stupid pointless question but it's one of those things I've always been interested to know!
P.S. And there was no wind or breeze to affect the outcome!
2006-09-12 01:58:08 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
I get what you're saying - jump straight up, no wind, not at an angle, no external forces etc.
The earth and everything on it and surrounding it is spinning around - whether you've got your feet firmly on the ground or are in mid-air you're being pulled along at the same rate as everything around you. Because of this when you jump upwards, whether it's 50cm, 50m or 50km you'll land back in the same place.
If you were to land in a different place it would mean that your position within the atmosphere would have remained static whilst the earth whizzed by beneath you. Fortunately this isn't the case and the atmosphere also rotates with the earth.
If the atmosphere were static and only the earth rotated this would cause one or two problems - not least the constant equatorial winds in excess of 1000mph but also the possibility of being hit by bird poo traveling at faster than the speed of sound.
Just for info - the equator is a little over 24,000 miles so here the earth 'travels' at a little over 1000mph. As you move away from the equator (north or south) the earth 'travels' at a slower speed. If you stuck a chair at the north pole and sat on it for 24 hours all that would have happened is that you'd have gone round in a full circle and travel led hardly any distance at all.
This isn't the most accurate answer scientifically but I hope it helps.
2006-09-12 15:02:06 · answer #1 · answered by Trevor 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
NO... you would land exactly above where you started.
In order to jump straight up, you would have to be moving very fast to counteract the gravity acting against you.
I remember a Mythbusters episode where they attached rockets to a childs swing to see how fast the swing would have to be going so it could travel around the top bar with the chains out straight and it seems the speed was over 200 miles an hour.
In 50 meters, you could not go fast enough for the earth to move out from under you.
2006-09-12 02:00:28 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The earth is about 25000 miles around and it takes 24 hours to turn, so, the Earth is moving about 1040mph. Everything on the Earth is moving that fast too. Including you just before you jump.
When you're in the air, you're still moving WITH the Earth. You might land in a slightly different location, but I doubt it, you'd only be in the air for a few seconds.
2006-09-12 02:02:19 · answer #3 · answered by words_smith_4u 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It would depend on what angle you left the ground at, and what the wind was doing. To reach 50m height, you would have to leave the ground at about 33.3m/sec if you launched yourself absolutely vertically from the ground. If the air was completely still, you'd land back where you took off.
If your launch angle was just 5 degrees off of vertical you would need to take off marginally faster (33.5m/sec) to reach 50m high. But you would land over 17 metres from where you launched (again assuming no wind).
With no air resistance the maximum range is achieved by launching at 45 degrees. Then you would need a take-off velocity of over 44m/sec to get 50m high - and you'd land 200m away! However, at that speed air drag would be pretty high and that would shorten the height and distance a lot, probably 10 to 15m off your height and more than 50m off your range.
2006-09-12 04:10:33 · answer #4 · answered by Paul FB 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, you wouldnt land at a different place, because, you are also moving relative to the earth., i.e. for you, the earth's rotation speed is zero. So, whatever height you jump from, you will land vertically down, or maybe at a slightly different place because of wind conditions.
The earth's rotation speed would have no effect on where you would land
2006-09-12 02:01:52 · answer #5 · answered by vani3624 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you begin on the earth, you will have its rotational velocity. When you take off, you will still have it's rotational velocity, and, excluding friction, you would maintain the rotational velocity. Therefore, as the earth has not changed speed or direction as you were jumping, you would indeed land back on the same spot.
2006-09-12 02:59:00 · answer #6 · answered by helen g 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are already travelling at the same speed as the surface of the earth when you jump. Just like if you jumped in side a train, you don't smash into the back of the carriage.
2006-09-12 02:10:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well at fifty meters you wouldn't escape gravity so even though you probably would not come down in the exact same spot you would not travel as much as if you jumped on the moon or mars where gravity is much weaker.
2006-09-12 02:06:53 · answer #8 · answered by tokyocowboy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not sure...........but go and jump the 50 metres and get back to us...
2006-09-12 02:00:03 · answer #9 · answered by scottietiger 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
are you sure you can jump that high !!!
you must have been shooting a REDBULL advertising.
2006-09-12 02:22:11 · answer #10 · answered by Persian Male 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋