Due to the Earth's rotation, is there any centrifugal force counteracting the effct of gravity?

Question

Spinning bodies usually produce centrifugal force. Does the Earth do this?

Answer 1

Yes. For an average person, the difference is a few ounces.

For the entire planet, the difference is enough to explain why the equatorial radius of Earth is a big bigger than the polar radius.
Equatorial radius = 6378.14 km
and Polar radius = 6356.75 km

Diff. = 21.39 km (1/3 of one percent)

Answer 2

Yes. You weight a fraction of a percent less at the equator than at the poles due to centrifugal force. This is also why the Earth is not perfectly round. It is slightly bulging out at the equator, by about 30 miles. It the Earth were rotating fast enough, so that a day was only 90 minutes long, you would be weightless at the equator.

Answer 3

Finally togethr said it!
There is no such force as the centrifugal force. It is the name given to the effect of the combination of the centripetal force (in the case of the earth - gravity) and momentum. The momentum of something going in a circular path would cause that thing to go straight. The centripetal force causes it to stay back from going straight.
Do this thought experiment: Imagine standing on the equator. You are going at a speed of 40,000 km/24hrs. Imagine that the earth's gravity is instantly turned off. You and everything around you would continue in a straight line off the earth.
Gravity keeps you from doing this. Gravity doesn't need to stop you from flying off the earth at the equator.

Answer 4

Yes but its not all that apparent on earth because Gravity is so much bigger that that of the centrifugal force the moon also has a role to play, that’s one of the reasons why tidal difference is so much grater at the equator and decreases as you go towards either pole.

Answer 5

Yes, but it is very small compared with gravity.

Sensitive dynamo-meters show that bodies appear to be slightly less heavy on the Equator than on the Poles. And that's because on the poles there is no centrifugal forces, whereas anywhere between a pole and the Equator there is one - whatever small.

Answer 6

Yes but we are aclimated to it. Einstein gives the example of an elevator. You notice the movement when it starts, but within a few seconds you feel as if you are standing on solid ground.

Some elevators move so slowly their motion is not preceived at all!

Answer 7

I say if the day were about 84.5 mins, then you would be weightless, (as long as there wasn't a big change in radius).

Answer 8

It's called 'centripetal' force.

http://regentsprep.org/Regents/physics/phys06/bcentrif/default.htm