Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Evolution and Creationism



Michael N. Monce writes:

On Fri, 20 Aug 1999, Ludwik Kowalski wrote:

3)
The rotation of the Earth has been slowing at a rate of 30 seconds
per century. If the Earth were billions of years old, the rotation rate
at the outset would have been so great that the planet could not have
held together, much less support life.

I'll take a stab at this one. I have no idea if the 30 second
value is correct. However, the conclusion assumes the rate of slowing has
been constant over the lifetime of the earth. I believe the slowing is
due to tidal effects and it would seem that the the 30 sec/century figure
could have been much different in the past. I have no evidence of such,
which I hope someone can supply. The conclusion makes an assumption about
the rotational slowing rate that may not be valid.


Mike Monce
Connecticut College

According to my information, the rate of slowing is about 0.5 seconds
every century. This translates to a 14 hour day 4.5 billion years ago.
There's a very nice explanation of this calculation at:

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/dave_matson/young-earth/specific_arg
uments/rotate.html



David J. Hamilton, Ed.D. * And gladly woulde he learn,
Portland Public Schools * and gladly teche.
djhamil@teleport.com * - Chaucer