Very Down-To-Earth Problem

Classical Mechanics Level 1

If we look down at the Earth from the North Pole, which way is it spinning?

This is original.
Inspired by the Community.
Clockwise Anticlockwise

A Former Brilliant Member by A Former Brilliant Member

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3 solutions

One must remember one basic, elementary fact, known to any child in the Northern Hemisphere:

The Sun rises in the East, and sets in the West .

Therefore, the Earth spins from a position where the Sun seems East to a position where it seems West. One does not require much penetration to work out that this means the Earth spins anticlockwise .

21 Helpful 0 Interesting 0 Brilliant 0 Confused

You know, the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West in the Southern Hemisphere too.

Gustavo Rocha - 5 years, 6 months ago

Yep. Exactly. Good Problem! @Andrei Golovanov

Mehul Arora - 5 years, 10 months ago

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Thanks! This was inspired by all the easy problems posted by some users like "Why is the sky blue" or "do any of these penguins lose heat".

A Former Brilliant Member - 5 years, 10 months ago

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So, you could have chosen the title to be, 'Inspired by the Community' :P

Mehul Arora - 5 years, 10 months ago

Answer please. Why is the sky blue?

Thangavelraj Thangam - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Thangavelraj Thangam – Have U got answer of this question???

M Musa Bhatti - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@M Musa Bhatti – The sky is blue because it has a shorter wavelength than other colours

Akshat Singh - 5 years, 10 months ago

@Thangavelraj Thangam – It's called Reyleight scattering.. Blue color is scattered by the molecules in the atmosphere.. That's y the sky appears blue

Giri Haran - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Giri Haran – Thank you so much

Thangavelraj Thangam - 5 years, 10 months ago
Patrick Archer
Nov 29, 2015

The word is counterclockwise.

1 Helpful 0 Interesting 0 Brilliant 0 Confused

Both are acceptable, but 'anti' is more usual.

Steve Ives - 5 years, 6 months ago
Achille 'Gilles'
Aug 19, 2015

Look at the way the water go down the drain, It is the inertia of the water that make it rotating clockwise by inertia in reference to of the rotation so in northern hemisphere water go down the drain clockwise so earth spin anticlockwise. Newton's first law of motion.

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