What is speed?
We can use the speed equation to calculate the speed of the earth’s rotation.
the equation for speed which reads speed equals distance divided by time
Remember Rotation?
What is the difference between the Earth’s rotation and the Earth’s revolution?
Goal:
Goal:
Even though you don’t feel it, everything on Earth is spinning very fast! Earth completes one rotation on its axis every 24 hours. How fast are we all spinning on Earth? The speed of an object is calculated by the distance traveled divided by the time it takes to travel it. Click through the slides below to see how the speed of the Earth’s rotation is calculated.
How fast does the Earth rotate?
The distance around our planet along the equator is 24,901 miles and it takes 24 hours for the Earth to rotate one time. We divide the distance in miles by the amount of time in hours.
The equation reads: speed equals 24,901 miles divided by 24 hours.
The Speed of Earth’s Rotation
If you do the calculation, you will find the speed of the Earth’s rotation in miles per hour (mph).
The equation reads: speed equals 24,901 miles divided by 24 hours equals 1037.5 miles per hour.
This means that the Earth is rotating at a speed of just over 1,000 miles per hour. Everything on Earth is also rotating at this speed, including you and me.
As the Earth is rotating on its axis, don’t forget that it is also revolving around the Sun. What is the difference between rotation and revolution? Think about what you already know about rotation and revolution. Click on the tabs to reveal more information.
| Description | Time | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Earth rotates on its axis. |
It takes 24 hours to make one complete rotation. |
The Earth rotates at 1,000 miles per hour. |
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|
The Earth revolves around the Sun. |
It takes 365¼ days to make one complete revolution. |
The Earth revolves around the Sun at 67,000 miles per hour. |