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The centripetal force on Earth is constantly exposing Earth to the acceleration. Why can't we feel this change of direction?

Qmechanic
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yaxraz
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2 Answers2

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At the equator, when the effect is the largest, we should feel a centrifugal correction of: $$a=\Omega_\oplus^2R_\oplus\approx\left(\frac{2\pi}{86164\,\text{s}}\right)^2\cdot6378\,\text{km}=0.0339\,\frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}^2}\approx0.00346g$$ This $0.3\%$ correction to $g$ is measurable, but imperceptible.

DanDan面
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The centripetal force acts perpendicular to the surface that's why it just changes the direction.

Now you must be talking about centrifugal force, which is responsible for the acceleration you feel while on marry go round,

The centrifugal acceleration is $$a_{cfg} = \omega^2 r$$

Now taking $r=6400000$ m $\omega= 2\pi/ T$ we get $$a_{cfg} =\left(\frac{2\pi}{60×60×24}\right)^2×6400000 = 0.0338\ m/s^2$$

While the acceleration due to gravity is $ g= 9.8\ m/s^2$ completely overshadowing this effect.

If there were no gravity you would have surely felt it, even now you feel it, but you can't distinguish it from gravity as both are fictitious force and have same acceleration for every mass,