If the Earth is spinning then why on EARTH can't I feel it!?

Answer 1

Because it's so slow ... takes 24 hours to turn around just once. Besides, you've had your whole life to get used to it.

Answer 2

First of all, I want to start by saying that the earth isn't spinning slowly. The earth is roughly 24000 miles around the equator. If it takes 24 hours to rotate once, then that means in one hour a point on the equator moves about 1000 miles, or 1000miles per hour. Last time I checked, 1000 miles per hour is extremely fast. Add to this movement our path around the sun, and the fact that the entire solar system is moving through space, and we get some insane speeds. Now, the reason we don't feel the earth moving is because our sense of speed is all relative. Think about flying on an airplane. Once you are in the air and at cruising altitude, you can't feel your speed. The plane is moving about 400 miles per hour, but so are you. Relative to the plane, you aren't moving. Relative to the ground, you are moving 400 miles per hour. The only time you can feel your speed is when you experience an acceleration. For example, when the plane takes off, you feel yourself get pushed back in your seat. What you feel when you feel speed is the force exerted on you by an accelerating object. In the plane, you feel the seat pushing against you. You also feel your own mass resisting the acceleration, which is known as inertia.

Answer 3

From Clay Thompson, Arizona Republic:

Let's pretend we're in an airplane and it is an absolutely perfect flight. The plane is moving at a constant, unwavering speed, and there are no turns up or down or sideways and no air turbulence, and everything is great, except, of course, for the fact that the food stinks.

So, the flight is so steady and so smooth that you can get up and walk around or square dance or whatever because you are moving at the same constant velocity as the plane. If you closed your eyes on this perfect flight you might not be able to tell if you were speeding along through the air or still parked on the runway. Again, that's because you are moving at the same speed - same velocity - as the plane.

Now sooner or later the pilot is going to have to slow down or speed up or you're going to hit an air pocket and then you will have a sense of motion because you'll get bounced around a bit by inertial force.

OK, now it's pretty much the same thing with our rotation and orbit and the whole spinning solar system thing. Yes, we're moving, but things are moving more or less at constant velocities and we're moving with everything, just like on the plane ride.

But, you say, since we are on a curving orbit around the sun shouldn't we feel an inertial tug, like in a plane making a turn.

And you're right, there would be some inertial force involved in a curving orbit, but it's too slight for us to notice.

Answer 4

Newtons first law of motion states that an object in motion stays in motion unless an external force is applied. since we are moving at the same speed as the rotation of the earth we do not feel the effects of motion. the only way to feel that the earth is spinning is to have earth stop abruptly. when this happens we are still moving at the speed of earth rotation and there for fly forward or backward.

Answer 5

Because your spinning with it.

Think of it this way whenver you spin on something like a mira go round your spinning at a different rate of speed than the earth so you feel it. The reason you feel the mira go rounds velocity vice the earth is because we are all bound by earths gravity not anything else you spin on.......

The rate of speed doesn`t make a difference. If it was fast you still wouldnt feel it because your on it bound by its gravity

Answer 6

The force of gravity pulls you down and therefor you are spinning with the earth at over 3000 miles per hour to complete one rotation a day. Since you are being held by gravity and that you are spinning at the same time the law of action and reaction applies to you.
An object stays in motion until a different force act upon it.

Answer 7

No, the earth's spin is not slow - it is about 1666 km per hour at the equator.
It has nothing to do with friction (car-on-a-smooth-road) either.
It is simply because you perceive every movement with a FRAME OF REFERENCE that is on earth. And earth's movement with reference to any object on earth is zero. In othert words, you have no suitable Frame of Reference to perceive earth's movement. The nearest extra-terrestrial Frame of Reference is Moon, which is far away and hence the speed of earth's spin is not noticeable.

Answer 8

because the spin of the earth is slow and the earth is huge and you are just one being on it.

Answer 9

spin is a movement and move ment of any object can be determined or felt with reference to other object in this case which is earth so as you both move in same direction in same magnitude no so you donot feel as everything moves with you

Answer 10

Gravity

Answer 11

Becdause we are spinning at the same speed. If you were in a car on a perfectly smooth road, you'd never know you were moving either.