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Earth's Momentum (Posted on 2003-03-12) Difficulty: 3 of 5
The earth's rotation rate is slowing down because of friction against the tidal bulges caused by the gravitation of the moon (major factor) and the sun (lesser factor). The earth's rotational energy is dissipated as heat, but where is the angular momentum going, and what physical mechanism brings that momentum there?

See The Solution Submitted by Charlie    
Rating: 3.0000 (6 votes)

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re(5): I disagree - me too, with you | Comment 11 of 16 |
(In reply to re(4): I disagree - me too, with you by Ken Haley)

I think you have finally got it straight. However, even in the "vacuum" of space, it ain't quite a vaccuum... so there *is* some friction. And there are other cosmic bodies (such as other planets which *do* interact and asteroids/comets and other debris which can take/impart angular momentum).

What's more, the earth is subject (just like all bodies) to tidal forces that can transfer angular momentum between bodies as well (i.e., the moon is tidally locked to the Earth, and I presume that the sun has a slowly working similar effect on the earth.) Please do a web search on "tidal lock".

Regarding the raw egg experiment: yeah, I think you've now got it about it right (not that I'm actually gonna hook up some motors, but you can go ahead and do it empirically). You might find that the raw egg still takes slightly less time, because the shell might come to a stop (with the insides still spinning a little), whereas the hard-boiled must completely stop spinning.
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It looks like Charlie beat me to it, but yeah, your cited internet source doesn't know what he's talking about.

That being said, as mentioned above, the sun (without any additional orbiting bodies) may be enough to draw away some angular momentum.
  Posted by ThoughtProvoker on 2004-09-28 10:52:52

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