I was interested in the topic of what rotates clockwise and what rotates counterclockwise. Very often you can find in the world a lot of things based on vortices, spirals, twists, having a right spin of rotation, that is, twisted according to the rule of the thumb, the rule of the right hand, and the left spin of rotation.
Spin is called the proper angular momentum of a particle. In order not to complicate the note with theory, it is better to see once. Slow waltz element - right spin turn.
For many years there has been a discussion among astronomers about the direction in which the spiral galaxies rotate. Do they rotate, dragging spiral branches with them, that is, twisting? Or do they rotate with the ends of the spiral branches forward, unwinding?
At the present time, however, it is becoming clear that observations support the hypothesis of the twisting of the spiral branches during rotation. American physicist Michael Longo was able to confirm that most of the galaxies in the Universe are oriented to the right side (right spin), i.e. rotates clockwise when viewed from its north pole.
The solar system rotates counterclockwise: all planets, asteroids, comets rotate in the same direction (counterclockwise when viewed from the north pole of the world). The sun rotates on its axis counterclockwise when viewed from the north pole of the ecliptic. And the Earth (like all the planets of the solar system, except Venus and Uranus) rotates around its axis counterclockwise.
The mass of Uranus, sandwiched between the mass of Saturn and the mass of Neptune, under the influence of the rotational moment of the mass of Saturn, got clockwise rotation. Such an impact from Saturn could have happened because the mass of Saturn is 5.5 times the mass of Neptune.
Venus rotates in the opposite direction than almost all planets. The mass of the planet Earth spun the mass of the planet Venus, which got clockwise rotation. Therefore, the diurnal periods of rotation of the planets Earth and Venus should also be close to each other.
What else is spinning, spinning?
The snail's house spins clockwise from the center (i.e., rotation here goes with a left spin, counterclockwise).
Tornadoes, hurricanes (winds centered in the area of the cyclone) blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and obey the centripetal force, while the winds centered in the area of the anticyclone blow clockwise and have centrifugal force. (In the Southern Hemisphere, everything is exactly the opposite.)
The DNA molecule is twisted into a right-sided double helix. This is because the backbone of the DNA double helix is composed exclusively of right-handed deoxyribose sugar molecules. Interestingly, during cloning, some nucleic acids change the direction of twisting of their helices from right to left. In contrast, all amino acids are twisted counterclockwise to the left.
Flocks of bats, flying out of caves, usually form a "dextrorotatory" vortex. But in caves near Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic), for some reason, they circle in a spiral, twisted counterclockwise ...
When one cat sees sparrows (these are her favorite birds), the tail turns clockwise, and if these are not sparrows, but other birds, then it turns counterclockwise.
And if we take Humanity, then we see that counterclockwise is going on: all sporting events (auto racing, horse races, running at the stadium, etc.) After some centuries, athletes noticed that it is much more convenient to run this way. Running the stadium counterclockwise, the athlete with his right foot makes a wider step than he would have done with his left, since the range of motion of the right foot is several centimeters larger. In most armies of the countries of the world, a circle is turned over the left shoulder, that is, counterclockwise; church rituals; traffic of cars on the roads in most countries of the world, with the exception of Great Britain, Japan and some others; at school the letters "o", "a", "b", etc. - from the first grade they teach to write counterclockwise. In the future, the overwhelming part of the adult population draws a circle, mixing sugar in a mug counterclockwise with a spoon.
And what follows from all this? Question: Is counterclockwise rotation natural for humans?
As a conclusion: the Universe is moving clockwise, but the solar system is against, the physical development of all living things is clockwise, consciousness is against.
Our planet is in constant motion. Together with the Sun, it moves in space around the center of the Galaxy. And that, in turn, moves in the Universe. But the most important thing for all living things is the rotation of the Earth around the Sun and its own axis. Without this movement, conditions on the planet would be unsuitable for supporting life.
solar system
According to scientists' calculations, the Earth as a planet of the solar system was formed more than 4.5 billion years ago. During this time, the distance from the star practically did not change. The speed of the planet and force of gravity The suns have balanced its orbit. It is not perfectly round, but stable. If the force of gravity of the luminary were stronger or the speed of the Earth decreased noticeably, then it would fall on the Sun. Otherwise, sooner or later, it would fly into space, ceasing to be a part of the system.
The distance from the Sun to the Earth makes it possible to maintain an optimal temperature on its surface. The atmosphere also plays an important role in this. As the Earth rotates around the Sun, the seasons change. Nature has adapted to such cycles. But if our planet were more distant, then the temperature on it would become negative. If she were closer, all the water would have evaporated, since the thermometer would have exceeded the boiling point.
The path of the planet around the star is called the orbit. The trajectory of this flight is not perfectly circular. It is elliptical. The maximum difference is 5 million km. The closest point of the orbit to the Sun is at a distance of 147 km. It is called perihelion. Her land passes in January. In July, the planet is at the maximum distance from the star. The longest distance is 152 million km. This point is called the aphelion.
The rotation of the Earth around its axis and the Sun provides a corresponding change in daily regimes and annual periods.
For a person, the movement of the planet around the center of the system is imperceptible. This is due to the fact that mass of the earth huge. Nevertheless, every second we fly about 30 km in space. It seems unrealistic, but these are the calculations. On average, it is believed that the Earth is located from the Sun at a distance of about 150 million km. It makes one complete revolution around the star in 365 days. The distance covered in a year is almost a billion kilometers.
The exact distance that our planet travels in a year, moving around the star, is 942 million km. Together with her we move in space in an elliptical orbit at a speed of 107,000 km / h. The direction of rotation is from west to east, that is, counterclockwise.
The planet does not complete its full revolution in exactly 365 days, as is commonly believed. In this case, about six more hours pass. But for the convenience of chronology, this time is taken into account in total for 4 years. As a result, one additional day "runs up", it is added in February. This year is considered a leap year.
The speed of rotation of the Earth around the Sun is not constant. It has deviations from the mean. This is due to the elliptical orbit. The difference between the values is most pronounced at the points of perihelion and aphelion and is 1 km / s. These changes are imperceptible, since we and all objects around us move in the coordinate system in the same way.
Change of seasons
The rotation of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the planet's axis make it possible to change the seasons. It is less noticeable at the equator. But closer to the poles, the annual cyclicality is more pronounced. The northern and southern hemispheres of the planet are heated unevenly by the energy of the Sun.
Moving around the star, they pass four conventional points of the orbit. In this case, alternately twice during a six-month cycle, they turn out to be farther or closer to it (in December and June - the days of the solstices). Accordingly, in a place where the planet's surface warms up better, the ambient temperature there is higher. The period in such a territory is usually called summer. In the other hemisphere at this time it is noticeably colder - there is winter.
After three months of such movement with a frequency of six months, the planetary axis is positioned in such a way that both hemispheres are in the same conditions for heating. At this time (in March and September - the days of the equinox) the temperature regimes are approximately equal. Then, depending on the hemisphere, fall and spring come.
Earth axis
Our planet is a spinning ball. Its movement is carried out around a conventional axis and occurs according to the principle of a top. Leaning with the base on a plane in an untwisted state, it will maintain balance. When the rotation speed decreases, the top falls.
The ground does not have an emphasis. The forces of attraction of the Sun, Moon and other objects of the system and the Universe act on the planet. Nevertheless, it maintains a constant position in space. Its rotation speed, obtained during the formation of the nucleus, is sufficient to maintain relative equilibrium.
The earth's axis passes through the planet's ball not perpendicularly. It is tilted at an angle of 66 ° 33 '. The rotation of the Earth around its axis and the Sun makes it possible to change the seasons of the year. The planet would "tumble" in space if it did not have a strict orientation. There would be no question of any constancy of environmental conditions and life processes on its surface.
Axial rotation of the Earth
The rotation of the Earth around the Sun (one revolution) occurs during the year. During the day, day and night change on it. If you look at the North Pole of the Earth from space, you can see how it rotates counterclockwise. It makes a complete revolution in about 24 hours. This period is called days.
The speed of rotation determines how quickly day and night change. In one hour, the planet turns about 15 degrees. The speed of rotation at different points on its surface is different. This is due to the fact that it has a spherical shape. At the equator, the linear speed is 1669 km / h, or 464 m / s. Closer to the poles, this indicator decreases. At the thirtieth latitude, the linear speed will already be 1445 km / h (400 m / s).
Due to axial rotation, the planet has a shape somewhat compressed from the poles. Also, this movement "forces" moving objects (including air and water currents) to deviate from the original direction (Coriolis force). Another important consequence of this rotation is the ebb and flow.
the change of night and day
A spherical object is only half illuminated by a single source of light at a given moment. With regard to our planet, in one of its parts at this moment there will be a day. The unlit part will be hidden from the Sun - there is night. Axial rotation makes it possible to alternate between these periods.
In addition to the light regime, the conditions for heating the planet's surface by the energy of the luminary change. This cyclicality is important. The rate of change of light and thermal modes is carried out relatively quickly. In 24 hours, the surface does not have time to either heat up excessively or cool below the optimal indicator.
The rotation of the Earth around the Sun and its axis at a relatively constant speed is of decisive importance for the animal world. Without the constancy of its orbit, the planet would not have kept itself in the optimal heating zone. Without axial rotation, day and night would last for six months. Neither one nor the other would contribute to the emergence and preservation of life.
Irregularity of rotation
Throughout its history, mankind has become accustomed to the fact that the change of day and night occurs constantly. This served as a kind of standard of time and a symbol of the uniformity of life processes. The period of rotation of the Earth around the Sun, to a certain extent, is influenced by the ellipticity of the orbit and other planets of the system.
Another feature is the change in the length of the day. The axial rotation of the Earth is uneven. There are several main reasons. Seasonal fluctuations related to atmospheric dynamics and rainfall distribution are important. In addition, the tidal wave directed against the direction of the planet's movement constantly slows it down. This indicator is negligible (for 40 thousand years for 1 second). But over 1 billion years under the influence of this, the length of the day increased by 7 hours (from 17 to 24).
The consequences of the rotation of the Earth around the Sun and its axis are being studied. These studies are of great practical and scientific importance. They are used not only to accurately determine stellar coordinates, but also to identify patterns that can affect the processes of human life and natural phenomena in hydrometeorology and other fields.
The yellowed sheets of Galileo's Dialogues rustled softly in the autumn wind. The three brothers sat on the veranda of the house, their heads bowed thoughtfully. Was sad. The four-day "conversation", which is almost four hundred years old, ended, a conversation about two most important systems of the world - Ptolemaic and Copernicus.
As interesting as a book is, it always ends. But the book does not die, even more so. It remains to live in our memory, in our thoughts. And so, in order to revive the lost feeling for a while, the three brothers conceived - and they were a mathematician, astronomer and linguist (as we will call them in the future) - to lead a conversation or dispute on some similar issue themselves.
There were three participants in the Dialogue: Sagredo, Salviati and Simplicio, and there were just three brothers. There was also a suitable topic of conversation that suited everyone. Namely, since Galileo proved that the Earth rotates, then it is reasonable to ask this question: "Why does the Earth rotate exactly counterclockwise?" On that and decided.
The first, with the rights of an older brother, was the Mathematician. He specified that the direction of rotation is a relative characteristic. When viewed from the North Pole, the Earth rotates counterclockwise, and if viewed from the South Pole, it rotates clockwise. This means that the question is meaningless.
“You’re wrong here,” said the Astronomer, who is the middle brother. - The northern hemisphere of the Earth is considered to be the upper one, and is usually viewed from its side. It is not for nothing that globes with a fixed axis have the northern hemisphere as the upper one. Even we, astronomers, a strict people, say: “above the plane of the ecliptic”, i.e. the plane of the Earth's orbit, when we mean half-space from the side of the northern hemisphere, and - “under”, when from the southern hemisphere. Although sailors call latitudes high, which are close not only to the North, but also to the South Pole, and low - close to the equator. True, the point here is rather that the absolute value of latitude increases when moving in both directions from the equator. But the very concept of high latitude originated in the northern hemisphere.
“Brother Astronomer is right,” Linguist, the younger brother, confirmed. - And although the childish assertion that the Earth has an up and down, this is a historical relic and a consequence of the birth of civilization in the northern hemisphere, but this is accepted and so more convenient. If you ask the question strictly, it sounds too cumbersome: "Why does the Earth, as seen from the North Pole, rotate counterclockwise?"
“Okay, I’ll answer that question too,” said the Mathematician with a sly smile. - Just first answer me, - he tossed a coin and showed it to everyone, - why exactly heads fell, and not tails? You see, the appearance of a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, as well as the appearance of heads or tails, are random and equally probable events.
“Well, you’re wrong here,” interrupted the Astronomer. - In the solar system, counterclockwise rotation (when viewed from the North Pole of the ecliptic) is predominant, and therefore more likely. Therefore, we, astronomers, call this movement direct, although it is “against”, and clockwise movement is reverse, although it is “along”. And physicists and mathematicians, apparently, therefore, took the counterclockwise movement for the positive direction of rotation and traversal. This is how everything that is possible moves: the surface of the Sun, planets in orbits and around the axis, satellites and rings around the planets and around the axis, the asteroid belt. Only a few celestial bodies have a reverse motion: the lazy-Uranus, together with all its satellites, inclined the axis of rotation under the orbital plane by eight degrees; the lazy Venus, which has the longest day of 243 Earth days; some outer satellites of giant planets and a few comets and asteroids. The predominance of direct motion in the solar system is explained by the fact that this direction of rotation had a protoplanetary cloud from which it arose. So the chance that the Earth would rotate clockwise is extremely small.
In response, the Mathematician, who knew how to make a model out of anything, took a bus ticket out of his pocket and asked:
- And you know that the chance that the number of this ticket could be exactly “847935” was one in a million and, nevertheless, it was he who fell, as you can see. And all because it makes no sense to look for the probability of an event after it has happened. In addition, it makes sense to talk about probability only for events that can be repeated, that can be reproduced or observed in large numbers, and in one event there can be no patterns. That is why, for example, one cannot talk about the temperature or pressure of a gas in a volume that includes only one or several molecules. In addition, you assert that the direction of rotation of the Earth is due to the direction of rotation of the proto-cloud, but, meanwhile, you forget that it is itself accidental. You could, for example, study the initial conditions of a coin toss and calculate which side it will fall on. This suggests that, in principle, a coin falling is not a random event. But the point here is not that the result cannot be predicted, but that it is unpredictable without knowing the initial conditions, which are themselves random. Therefore, both directions of rotation for the Earth are equally probable. Now you, I hope, understand that it is pointless to argue, - finished the Mathematician with the air of a winner. - Am I right, Brother Linguist?
“Both of you are essentially right. The dispute you have is about words and wording. It all depends on what meaning you put into the question. Naturally, everyone looked for and found a solution to the question in a meaning close to him: a mathematician searches through probabilities, an astronomer through cosmogony, and now I will give you a third interpretation. Since I am a linguist, I look for meaning, first of all, in the meaning of words. His gaze fell on his watch. - That's who will judge us. When you hear about clockwise rotation, you imagine a specific direction, but I see the word “clock”. For me, “clockwise” is the direction that coincides with the course of the clockwise hand of our watch. The question is, why did people choose the clockwise movement as the main direction, and not, say, the direction of rotation of the potter's wheel or the rotation of the minute hand? And in general, why did people make the hour hand rotating in the direction we know? I think this is not accidental. The direction of movement of the hand in mechanical watches was taken as the direction of rotation of the pointer in the first watches created by man - in the sun. It was they who determined not only the type of modern mechanical watches and the speed of rotation of their hour hand (only it began to rotate twice as slow as the shadow and hands in some of the previous 24-hour dials), but in general the type of instruments with a dial and an arrow indicator. Only the movement of the hour hand-shadow in the sundial had a constant direction of rotation and could always be reproduced - that is why people took it as a standard. Note that the shadow from the pillar, as you know, turns clockwise - in the same direction as the apparent movement of the Sun across the firmament. But, as was shown by Galileo, in reality the Sun is motionless, and its apparent motion is caused by the rotation of the Earth in the opposite direction, i.e. exactly counterclockwise. Thus, it is clear that the Earth can only rotate counterclockwise, if by this we mean not a specific direction, namely the direction of the movement of the hour hand-shadow in a solar or mechanical clock. If the Earth rotated in the other direction, then the clockwise movement would also be different.
- Well, you, brother, are strong, - said the Mathematician with admiration. - It's incredible. It turns out that if civilization arose in the southern hemisphere, it would find that the Earth rotates counterclockwise from their side. After all, their sun moves across the sky in the direction opposite to the movement of ours, which means that their hour hand would rotate in the opposite direction.
