Why can't we feel the earth rotating?

DNVN - Every day, the Earth completes a full rotation around its axis at an incredible speed — about 1,670 km/h at the equator. Yet strangely, even though the Earth is spinning extremely fast, we don't feel any movement. So what makes our bodies "calm" in the face of this giant movement?

Uniform motion – the secret of “smoothness”

The Earth rotates at a nearly constant speed, a motion called "uniform motion". According to Newton's law of motion, when an object moves at a constant speed and there is no sudden force acting on it, a person standing on that object will not feel the movement. Just like when you are sitting in a car driving at a steady speed on the highway, you also do not feel that you are moving unless you look outside.

Illustration photo.

No change in acceleration

We only feel movement when there is a change in velocity - that is, acceleration. For example, when an airplane takes off or a car brakes suddenly, you will feel a jerk or a push forward. However, the Earth rotates steadily, without sudden changes in speed, so our bodies are not affected and do not feel the rotation.

The surrounding environment is also moving.

Everything that exists on Earth – the air, the water, the buildings, the trees, and our own bodies – is moving at the same speed as the planet. So we have no direct point of comparison to perceive the movement. This is also why, if you stand in a smoothly moving train at a constant speed, it feels as if you are standing still.

Effects of centrifugal force

In fact, the centrifugal force caused by the Earth's rotation has a very small effect: it makes our bodies feel a little lighter, especially at the equator, compared to the poles. However, this difference is so small - only about 0.3% of our weight - that our bodies cannot perceive it with our normal senses.

Only when do you feel the earth moving?

If the Earth suddenly accelerated or slowed down its rotation, or shook violently, we would immediately feel it through a feeling of loss of balance or dizziness. If the Earth suddenly stopped rotating, the consequences would be extremely catastrophic: everything on the surface would be thrown out at a speed of thousands of kilometers per hour.

Bao Ngoc (t/h)

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/vi-sao-chung-ta-khong-cam-nhan-duoc-trai-dat-dang-quay/20250428084620893