As you know, our planet has the shape of a ball — sorry, flat-earthers, but it is. And it rotates around its axis like a spinning top, thanks to which our days are replaced by nights. Does C. W. Allen, A. N. Cox. Allen’s Astrophysical Quantities this is it with an equatorial speed of 1,674 km/h.

Photo of the Earth from orbit. Image: NASA / Unsplash

This is 465 meters per second — an impressive figure. Some may have a question: why do we not notice the rotation of the planet? People manage to lose consciousness while riding in an amusement park on a carousel, and it moves much slower than the Earth.

Maybe scientists are hiding the truth again and in reality our planet is stationary?

In fact, it is quite easy to answer the question "why do we not notice the rotation of the Earth" if we draw a simple analogy If the Earth is spinning, why can’t I feel it? / Popular Science . Imagine that you are flying on an airplane.

From the outside, you can see that the aircraft is rushing forward, and it can be very fast. But, being inside, you will not notice movement and will be able to walk around the cabin, sit and lie down, as if the plane is completely stationary. The fact is that you are moving at the same speed as the transport, and relative to its "frame of reference", as physicists say, you are at complete rest.

We can't feel the speed, but we can feel the acceleration If the Earth is spinning, why can’t I feel it? / Popular Science . You will notice the movement of the aircraft only when it accelerates or, conversely, brakes. That is why during takeoff and landing, passengers are asked to sit down and fasten their seat belts, otherwise they all fall to the floor.

A photo of the starry sky from the Earth with a multi—hour exposure is an illustration of the rotation of the Earth around its axis. Image: Anton Yankovyi / Wikimedia Commons

If the planet had stopped, we would have felt it — and would not have been able to survive such a catastrophe. But the Earth is not going to accelerate or slow down, so we do not notice its rotation. The atmosphere, all objects on the surface and ourselves — everything is spinning along with the planet at the same speed of 465 meters per second. And relative to the Earth itself remains stationary If the Earth is spinning, why can’t I feel it? / Popular Science .

Newton's second law states: force = mass × acceleration. Your body is that mass. Acceleration in the case of the Earth is zero. This means that no force acts on your body, and it is at rest.

Although, strictly speaking, the Earth is still experiencing a slight slowdown. The moon slightly slows down the rotation of our planet, which is why the latter slows down by about two thousandths of a second every day. Research shows B. L. Silver. The Ascent of Science that 350 million years ago, the day consisted of only 23 hours, because the Earth was spinning faster.

That is, your body on the surface of the planet is still affected by a slight slowdown - physicists call it negative acceleration. However, it is so insignificant that you simply do not notice it.