Bad Press coverage of science

[Grok]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/08/22/brazil.rocket.explosion.ap/index.html

Read the 2nd-to-last paragraph.

"The Earth's rotation is faster at the equator.."

This is why you don't send a fashion reporter to cover science.

[Grok]

Here's another one.  Maybe it's a CNN thing:

http://money.cnn.com/2003/08/23/technology/sobig_subpoena.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

SoBig.F was first posted to a porn Usenet group," said Jimmy Kuo, research fellow at anti-virus software maker Network Associates Inc. Usenet is a popular forum on the Internet where computer users with similar interests post and read messages.

*sigh*

[Hazard]

Humans are inherently stupid. It is my personal belief that all people should have to take a common sense and intelligence test. You need a certain score to fly planes, certain score to drive, and a certain score to so much as leave your home. If you score below a certain number you should have to wear a sign that says "I Am Stupid" just so the rest of us understand their mistake.

* HaZarD hands CNN Correspondant's their very own signs *

!~!HaZaRD!~!

[Thing]

I think the surface speed is faster at the equator.

The equatorial radius of the earth is 6378 km and its speed or rotation at the equator is 1670 kilometers/hour with a 24-hour day. At Los Angeles with a latitude of +34 degrees the speed is 1670 x cos(34) = 1384 kilometers/hour.

[DarkMinion]

It would be faster at the equator, it's the same concept as a point on the outside of a record spinning faster than a point near the middle, IMO.

[EvilCheese]

The earth rotates at constant *angular* velocity regardless of location.

However, the *linear* velocity of the ground changes depending on surface location you measure it at.

There are some equations for converting... Yoni probably knows them by heart so pester him for them

[Yoni]

v = omega * R

v is the linear velocity (meters per second), omega (written in lowercase, looks like a 'w' with round corners) is the angular velocity (radians per second, or Hertz), and R is the radius, i.e. the distance from the center of the Earth (meters, or m).

The Earth's rotation maintains a constant angular velocity (or at least, I think it does...!). The linear velocity depends on the distance from the center of the Earth as the above formula shows - this distance may vary depending on whether you're at the Dead Sea or on Mount Everest.

Physics at high school paid off. I have one more year remaining so I can learn electricity stuff too.

[Grok]

The article said the earth's ROTATION is faster at the equator.  Rotation is measured in angular velocity as someone pointed out.