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In what direction is the Earth’s angular velocity vector as it rotates daily about its axis, north or south?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The angular velocity of the Earth is in the north direction.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the right-hand rule

According to the right-hand rule, when you roll your fingers in the direction of the object's movement, the thumb will indicate the rotation direction.

02

Direction of the Earth’s angular velocity

On applying the right-hand rule, if the fingers point toward the Earth’s rotation direction, which is from west to east, the thumb will point in the north direction. So, the angular velocity is directed along its axis of rotation, which is north.

Thus, the Earth’s angular velocity vector is toward the north.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A merry-go-round has a mass of 1440 kg and a radius of 7.50 m. How much net work is required to accelerate it from rest to a rotation rate of 1.00 revolution per 7.00 s? Assume it is a solid cylinder.

Suppose you are sitting on a rotating stool holding a 2-kg mass in each outstretched hand. If you suddenly drop the masses, your angular velocity will

(a) increase.

(b) decrease.

(c) stay the same.

The bolts on the cylinder head of an engine require tightening to a torque of 95 m N. If a wrench is 28 cm long, what force perpendicular to the wrench must the mechanic exert at its end? If the six-sided bolt head is 15 mm across (Fig. 8–44), estimate the force applied near each of the six points by a wrench.

Most of our Solar System’s mass is contained in the Sun, and the planets possess almost all of the Solar System’s angular momentum. This observation plays a key role in theories attempting to explain the formation of our Solar System. Estimate the fraction of the Solar System’s total angular momentum that is possessed by planets using a simplified model which includes only the large outer planets with the most angular momentum. The central Sun (mass\(1.99 \times {10^{30}}\;{\rm{kg}}\), radius\(6.96 \times {10^8}\;{\rm{m}}\)) spins about its axis once every 25 days and the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune move in nearly circular orbits around the Sun with orbital data given in the Table below. Ignore each planet’s spin about its own axis.

Planet

Mean Distance from Sun\(\left( { \times {{10}^6}\;{\rm{km}}} \right)\)

Orbital Period

(Earth Years)

Mass

\(\left( { \times {{10}^{25}}\;{\rm{kg}}} \right)\)

Jupiter

778

11.9

190

Saturn

1427

29.5

56.8

Uranus

2870

84.0

8.68

Neptune

4500

165

10.2

A large spool of rope rolls on the ground with the end of the rope lying on the top edge of the spool. A person grabs the end of the rope and walks a distance l, holding onto it, Fig. 8–64. The spool rolls behind the person without slipping. What length of rope unwinds from the spool? How far does the spool’s center of mass move?

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