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mb85
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Suppose that Earth's polar ice caps melted and the water returned to the oceans, so that the oceans were deeper by about 37 m. What effect would this have on Earth's rotation? Make an estimate of the resulting change in the length of the day. (Concern has been expressed that warming of the atmosphere resulting from industrial pollution could cause the ice caps to melt.)
RadiusEarth = Re + change in radius
IWtoday = IWmelt
L = IW
so as I increases, W decreases
W = 2pie/T
so as W decreases, T increases
W' = 2pie/T'
W = 2pie/T
W'/W
change in W = W' - W/W
so 1 - W'/W
change in L = 0 = change in (IW)
d(IW) = Idw + WdI
change in W/W = change in I/I
this is what we came up with, but it just seems like a lot of things that are potentially not important to the concept and that's confusing me. Can someone help me sort through this. Thanks.
RadiusEarth = Re + change in radius
IWtoday = IWmelt
L = IW
so as I increases, W decreases
W = 2pie/T
so as W decreases, T increases
W' = 2pie/T'
W = 2pie/T
W'/W
change in W = W' - W/W
so 1 - W'/W
change in L = 0 = change in (IW)
d(IW) = Idw + WdI
change in W/W = change in I/I
this is what we came up with, but it just seems like a lot of things that are potentially not important to the concept and that's confusing me. Can someone help me sort through this. Thanks.