- #1
kernelpenguin
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On the UserFriendly forums I saw a message a few days ago from two people that had lost some weight. It went something like: "If you've noticed that the Earth is spinning faster, it's because X and Y have lost N pounds!"
Okay, logically, an object should start spinning faster if it sheds some mass, but does it, in this case, shed any mass at all?
I got into a debate about this with my friend.
My point of view is that the Earth is a closed system when it comes to particles with mass. Even if they did lose N pounds, that still hasn't left Earth or its atmosphere, so Earth should be spinning at exactly the same speed.
His point of view was that Earth is not a closed system since it gets sunlight and sheds heat radiation. But these shouldn't affect mass, should they? Then he went on saying that some of it is deposited in the atmosphere and thus doesn't contribute to Earth's rotation.
It's a fun little problem, methinks. Anyone care to cast their opinions? :)
Okay, logically, an object should start spinning faster if it sheds some mass, but does it, in this case, shed any mass at all?
I got into a debate about this with my friend.
My point of view is that the Earth is a closed system when it comes to particles with mass. Even if they did lose N pounds, that still hasn't left Earth or its atmosphere, so Earth should be spinning at exactly the same speed.
His point of view was that Earth is not a closed system since it gets sunlight and sheds heat radiation. But these shouldn't affect mass, should they? Then he went on saying that some of it is deposited in the atmosphere and thus doesn't contribute to Earth's rotation.
It's a fun little problem, methinks. Anyone care to cast their opinions? :)