Why we don`t feel the motion of the Earth?

Though the Earth is revolving around the Sun and rotating around itself at a speed of 1,600 Kilometers per hour, we dont feel the motion of the Earth. This is because the Earth moves uniformly. Suppose we are in a car moving with uniform speed along a straight line (of course, this is not possible for a longer time), we don't feel any force pushing us in any direction. There will not be any difference in the state of a car at rest or a car travelling at a uniform speed of 100 kilometers per hour along a straight line in uniform motion. Now, if the same car travelling along straight line suddenly takes a turn at a curve, a force acts on our body in the car and we will be tilting a little away from the centre of the curved path. Similarly, if the car driver suddenly applies brakes, we will fall forward in the direction of the motion of the car. It means as far there are no changes in the speed of the car or if it is not taking any turn, no force acts on the people sitting in the car. So, we don't tilt or lean in any direction. We know that we are in motion, but we don't experience that motion.

Similarly, we know that the Earth is in motion, but our body doesn't experience it. This is because of the Earth's uniform motion without any ups and downs. Though the Earth is moving with uniform speed, it is not moving along a straight line but in a curved path. so, we on the Earth should fall a way from the centre of that curved path. But its not happening. This is because of the size of the Earth and the extent of the curved path. The Earth is so big...so that the curved part of the path will not change all of a sudden as in the case of a car taking a turn, but changes slowly so that that change can be hardly felt and its motion is almost will be like that of a straight path. So, we don't feel any external force acting up on us, which means we feel that we are moving along a straight path. That's why though the Earth is rotating around itself, we don't rotate.
- Laxmi Emani

Published date : 20 Nov 2013 02:54PM