Which state in the United States has the greatest linear speed as the Earth rotates about its axis?

Question

Explain with a reason

Answer 1

Hawaii, closest to the equator.

Answer 2

The law of conservation of angular momentum does not apply to this question, and the person that wrote that answer is an idiot. No reservations about it. Just a goof. Same goes for the other person that wrote that it is the furthest north point.

Any point on the earth's surface must go all the way around the circumference once in every 24 hours. So the greater the distance, the higher the speed. And the closest to the equator, the longer the circumference. So for the contiguous United States it's Key West, Florida. For ALL of the United States, it's the southern tip of the big island of Hawaii.

Answer 3

It would be the southernmost state at its southernmost point, say Key West FL, Brownsville TX, or some island in Hawaii is the most likely, don't know which is furthest south. For a rotating object, the linear speed is greatest the furthest from the rotation axis. Remember getting thrown off of a merry-go-round as a kid? If you sat at the center on the rotation axis you just got dizzy, but if you were on the edge, as it spun faster, it was more and more difficult to hang on. Anyway, back to earth, no pun intended, it rotates once in 24 hours right? So if you were 4 feet from the north pole of the earth's rotation axis you would go around 1 foot per hour. Why? 2 times Pi times 4 is roughly 24 feet divided by 24 hrs to go around. The math is linear velocity equals radius x angular velocity. At the earth's EQUATOR you are now 4000 MILES from the rotation axis and go the distance of the circumference of the earth (24,000 miles) in 24 hrs or 1000 mph. So the further south (up to the equator) the faster your linear velocity. In the southern hemisphere it would be the further north you go.

Answer 4

For "rotational velocity" defined as "finished rotations (i.e. revolutions or cycles) there are per time unit"... All factors on earth's floor not on the axis revolve as quickly as each twenty-4-ish hours. those factors seen on the axis (on the north and south poles) don't have this property. additionally notice that "Earth's floor" may well be interpreted as which skill the exterior of oceans, wherein case the action of ocean water could fairly improve or decrease the rotational velocity length. For "linear velocity" defined as "distance traveled per time unit"... The farther faraway from the axis of rotation and the closer to the equator something is, the quicker the exterior fabric of the earth would be vacationing. So possibly the tallest mountain nearest to the equator could have the ideal linear velocity.

Answer 5

The state closest to the equator (which has the highest rotational speed). So the answer is Hawaii.
But if you consider Puerto Rico a US state, it is a little farther south than Hawaii so it is moving faster.

Answer 6

Alaska.

The law of conservation of angular momentum tells us that the closer you get to the center of rotation of a rotating body, the faster you must be moving. Same reason a figure skater rotates faster when she pulls her arms in while doing a spin.

Since Alaska is the US state closest to the pole, it wins the speed race. :)

Answer 7

Hawaii is farthest south so it"s rotational speed is greater,it is closer to the equator.

Answer 8

Hawaii
Aloha!

Answer 9

the one with the lowest altitude and fartherest north...or the averages of both combined with the highest mean number

Answer 10

i guess the answer is Hawaii