Supposed that you float into the air stationary facing north for 12 hrs. Will you still be facing north and will you land in a different location considering that the Earth rotates?
2007-09-07 12:32:17 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Stationary relative to what?
Assuming that you float in a fixed point in space the Earth will rotate underneth you as mentioned. 12 hrs later the Earth has rotated 180 degrees.
May I add that you also will have to take into account the Earths orbit. The orbital motion will cause the Earth to shift its position under you. If you are hovering at one side of the Earth the orbital shift will cause a slight shift in your relative direction to the pole every day. If you were hovering at a spot inline with the orbital motion then your apparent altitude would change day by day.
However wait for several months and you will have a significant change in your relative position to Earth and its pole.
2007-09-07 14:23:27 · answer #1 · answered by MarkG 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hypothetically, you will still be facing north and you will be 180 degrees from the spot were you started. If it was for 24 hours, you would end up in the same spot (having gone the full 360 degrees), the next day.
c-ya
2007-09-07 12:41:50 · answer #2 · answered by bronte heights 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋