spinning earth

[tigerlily11]

just another daft question but what would happen if the world stopped spinning?
Does it keep us on the planet?
Or is it something else?
Thank you for your time.

[newtron]

Gravity keeps us on the planet. In fact, if there was no gravity, we would be thrown off the planet because it is spinning.

[tigerlily11]

so basically we'd all go flying off into space?

[newtron]

No, probably not. It is difficult to say what might happen if the earth stopped spinning, but some one might be willing to make some educated guesses.

[deggers316]

we all die ! deff:

[CT]

The earth's rotation is effectively trying to throw us off the planet. No rotation = stuck slightly more to the floor. Zero spin probably means more uneven heating of on planet side, leading to higher wind speeds trying to balance the temperature out(thermodynamics).

[ugly_bob]

doesn't the rotation have something to do with the magnetic field? not sure on this, just something at the back of my head telling me

[Whickerman]

The moon doesn't rotate, yet man can walk on it (allegedly - leave it...!)

I suspect we'd be a bit shorter to to the extra effect of gravity. Oh, and the dark half of the planet would freeze.

[wildwood]

I would guess the side facing the sun would become very hot in a short time, killing most, if not all life as we know it. Winds of many hundreds mph would wreck all buildings and flooding would be rife.
Life on the sides which were at dusk/dawn at the time Earth stopped spinning would also be affected by unusual weather and vegetation would die, so food would run out within one season.

Life is very dependent on the stability of the Earth's rotation affect.

[Clanad]

Ah, but the moon does rotate, which it must, of course, for us on Earth to see only one side...

[woodchopper]

The earth would be pulled into the sun - think of the earth like the ball in a game of roulette and the sun in the centre of the wheel - when the centrifugal force decreases and the ball moves towards the centre.