Will the earth slow down and mess up time?

[SpoiledRotten]

Since someone wanted to know about the treadmill and the jet, I was pondering something this morning on the way to work as I watched a powerful jet fly over.

If you took the jets man has created and anchored them to the earth facing the opposite direction of the earth's rotation, would it slow, stop, or even start it rotating the opposite direction after firing them up at the same time? Hmmmmm

[Double Dog]

My guess it the effect would be imperceptible. The earth has too much mass.

[rjt36]

Even if the Earth did slow it's rotation, I think we'd have more problems on our hands than time.

Anyways, time would speed up, but relatively to us, nothing would actually happen. We'd have no point of reference to compare the passage of time with since every clock on Earth would speed up the same magnitude. It's relativity.

Here's an example of relativity:
A man is on a train and you are standing beside the track. As the train passes you, he drops a ball of light that will bounce off the floor and return to his hand. The man on the train sees the ball of light go up and down in a strictly vertical path. You, on the other hand, see the ball travel in the path of a V. The path of the ball is all dependant on your frame of reference.

In the case of time, we wouldn't notice anything change in time's speed (even though it would cease to synch up with the nights and days) because our frame of reference will not change.

I don't think people would like the Earth slowing it's rotation, though, since we'd all of a sudden start weighing more. Nobody likes gaining a few pounds.

[JimenyFKrickets]

Yes, I saw this on Superman 1 so it is possible.

[Poor Boy]

my watch is only right twice a day anyway.

[DJ Daddy]

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Time wouldn't change as time is a measurement of events. Whether the Earth is turning or standing still, events would happen as they have in relation to measuring time (consider how time is measured: vibration of atoms, decay rate of carbon, etc.) The Earth's motion (or lack thereof) has no effect upon the basic speed of light. True, some would perceive time different but time itself marches on at its regular rate.

The biggest thing one would notice is that gravity would (seem) to be stronger - only because there would be a bit less centrifugal force working against the pull of the Earth's gravitational field. You would (seem) to weigh more for starters. But just consider the dozens (millions) of Earthly things that are effected by gravity (hey, you would need less HP to get up that hill..).

Basic science stuff but is a fascinating exercise thinking about how things would be. Unfortunately, I don't have the formula handy to calculate the various changes but your imagination will do just fine. I can think of one (or two) thing that wouldn't sag like we know it.

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[Fett]

Treadmills around the world would run backwards.

[LandRover]

How does one launch balls of light from their hands? I must learn this.

[rjt36]

Originally Posted by LandRover

How does one launch balls of light from their hands? I must learn this.

You either have to be Japanese or Guile

[War Eagle]

What if all the air on the planet suddenly turned into wood?

[LandRover]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

What if all the air on the planet suddenly turned into wood?

Our lungs would become beavers. Survival of the fittest, baby.

[Red_Ak_Ranger]

Why do people keep acting as if time is going to "slow down"? We would just have longer days. The minute hand would keep on chugging, but we would just add more hours. Still, our perception of time would be the exact same speed.

[Later_THANKS]

You would effect gravity no time.

You need that guy from Heros to effect time.

[Juju]

Didn't something like that happen in an episode of Futurama once? Only they pushed the earth away from the sun (a global warming countermeasure that our current government should look into) rather than changing it's rotational speed.

[Poor Boy]

Originally Posted by Juju

Didn't something like that happen in an episode of Futurama once? Only they pushed the earth away from the sun (a global warming countermeasure that our current government should look into) rather than changing it's rotational speed.

yup. i just watched it last night. it had tortoises in it. tortoises that were moving to Holland.