Re: [Phys-l] earth's rotation

[carmelo@pacific.net.sg]

Quoting Brian Whatcott <betwys1@sbcglobal.net>:
> > Well, its impossible for the Earth to rotate from West to East,
> > seeing that the definition of East is the direction the Earth
> > rotates toward, and the definition of West is the direction the
> > Earth rotates from.  Asking this question is sort of like asking
> > what would happen if green was magenta and yellow was blue.
> >
> > David Bowman
>
> Surely not!
> The renowned David Bowman metaphorically pointing out a spelling error
> in a technical note? Tell me it's not so!  :-)

If rotating from West to East is considered anticlockwise from the  
"top", then let's start viewing from the "bottom". The Earth would  
then appear to rotate clockwise.

Perhaps, we could change the terminology altogether and ask the  
question differently: What happen if both the Sun and Earth are "spin  
up"? What happen if one is "spin up", the other is "spin down"... etc?  
:-)
Rhetorical questions? :-)


Alphonsus