Inertia of the Earth and my biological cycle

In summary: It would be like having two suns in the sky.Anyway, is this a problem from your physics class or what? O__OIn summary, Sigma has a problem with his biological clock not keeping up with the rotation of the Earth, which is causing him to have limited interactions with society. He is considering using a number of powerful rockets engines to adjust the Earth's rotation to match his own cycle.
  • #1
sigma
24
0
Greetings nerds! Please just read the bold-style basic question at the end of the message if you don't care what my personal problems are. You'll find out soon enough... when I have summoned founds for my 0.27 billion rockets engines.

I have this problem:
My "biological clock", the part of my autonomus nerve system that is telling me when to sleep is wacked due to serious abuse of caffeine, maple and pipe tobacco. My biological clock simply fail to keep up with the 24 hour period which for some arbritary reason happens to be the rotational period of the planet, namely the Earth, on which I for some equally random reason is set to spend my life.

My life seem to attract to this cycle: 12 hours of sleep, followed by 24 hours of beeing awake. This is a serious issue as it, given that I elect say 7 o'clock as a standard wake-up-and-go-to-bed point (going to bed at 7 in the morning one day, waking up at 7 in the evening the same day, then going to bed at 7 in the evening the NEXT day and then vaking up at 7 in the morning the same day and then repeating the cycle), I am only able to have meeningful interaction with the society in my vicinity every second day. I live in Sweden, but I literally spend half my life living according to local time of well, Bangkok perhaps or maybe Sydney.


The solution:

The only reasonable solution I can find to this problem is to slow down the rotational period of the Earth to correspond to the actual 36 hours that constitutes my life cycle. This could for example be accomplished by firing a number of rockets distributed around the equator in the opposite direction of the Earths' rotation. I am considering the use of an array of Rocketdyne F-1 engines as those are the most powerful available to the best of my knowing.

I have done some rough math and calculated the number of engines required, or more generally, the total energy required to slow down the Earth the corresponding number of radians/second to be approximately
3.34*10^17 J.

One F-1 engine is generating something like 7740.5 kN of thrust and has a typical burn time of 161 seconds, making the number of required engines something like 270*10^6 units or an equivalent of 540*10^5 Apollo Saturn class moon rockets (having five F-1 engines each,YES I KNOW IT IS ONLY THE FIRST STAGE)...

Now that's one hell of a lot of rockets, but I have counted a little high. I considered the Earth to be of uniform density but, as any enlightened human would claim, the Earth is more dense at higher depths. Due to its' highly compressed iron core for example.

So my question is: Is there a way to describe the density of the Earth as a continuous function of distance from the center? If not, dividing our planet in a number of spherical shells of different density would give me a better model. Where do I find such information?

Don't hesitate to ask for the details of my calculations. This is physics when it is at its' best: totally pointless. My next attempt to adjust nature to me is perhaps a giant solar sail? Stay tuned!

Cheers/ Jomiq.
 
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  • #2
Someone move this to the Earth section >_>
 
  • #3
Yeah. Not sure if i got this in the right section. Thought I was posting in the general physics forum?

-Sigma
 
  • #4
There are several other (much more reasonable) solutions, but first, I've got to ask -- what kind of work do you do?
 
  • #5
The most reasonable solution seems to be to eliminate the caffeine and nicotine, which are disrupting your normal sleep cycle. I'd prefer you didn't alter the rotation of the Earth to suit your own individual cycle, because if we did it for you, we'd have to do it for everyone, and at least every 3 days you're on a normal schedule, but others don't even synchronize that well.
 
  • #6
You know, it's funny how you say
The only reasonable solution I can find to this problem is to slow down the rotational period of the Earth

When you could simply stop your caffeine intake and stay up as long as you can until you are very tired and it is around 10PM... then you would set an alarm for the next day at 7AM ish. It works quite well, lollll...Anyway, is this a problem from your physics class or what? O__O
 
  • #7
The National Geographic Channel has a program about the history of the earth/moon relationship, and the rotation of the Earth seems to be highly dependent on the moon. Back a couple billion years ago, before there was life on earth, the moon was 15 times closer and the tidal bulge the moon pulled around the Earth as it orbited was enormous. Days were also only 6 hours long. As the moon slowly acquires a larger and larger orbit, our rotation has slowed down. The moon gets about an inch and a half farther from the Earth each year.

Anyway, if you'll just be patient for another billion years or so, the days will be very much longer and your circadian rythms may fall into place.
 

1. What is the effect of Earth's inertia on my biological cycle?

Earth's inertia, or its tendency to resist changes in motion, has a significant impact on our biological cycle. This is because our bodies are adapted to the Earth's rotation and the daily cycle of light and dark. Any changes in the Earth's inertia, such as a sudden shift in its rotation, can disrupt our biological rhythms and lead to health problems.

2. How does the Earth's inertia affect the length of my day?

The Earth's inertia plays a crucial role in determining the length of our day. As the Earth rotates on its axis, its inertia causes it to spin at a constant rate, which is what gives us our 24-hour day. If the Earth's inertia were to change, it would affect the length of our day and could potentially disrupt our biological cycle.

3. Can the Earth's inertia affect my sleep patterns?

Yes, the Earth's inertia can have an impact on our sleep patterns. Our bodies are naturally attuned to the Earth's rotation and the cycle of day and night. If the Earth's inertia were to change, it could alter the timing of sunrise and sunset, which can disrupt our sleep patterns and lead to sleep disturbances.

4. How does the Earth's inertia influence the seasons?

The Earth's inertia also plays a role in the changing of the seasons. As the Earth orbits around the sun, its inertia keeps it moving in a consistent path, which results in the changing of seasons. If the Earth's inertia were to change, it could affect the timing and duration of each season, leading to potential changes in our biological cycles.

5. Is the Earth's inertia constant?

No, the Earth's inertia is not constant. It can be affected by various factors such as the distribution of land and water on Earth's surface, the gravitational pull of other celestial bodies, and even human activities such as large-scale construction projects. However, these changes in inertia are typically small and do not have a significant impact on our biological cycles.

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