William W. answered • 05/30/24
Experienced Tutor and Retired Engineer
We are not stationary. The Earth is not only spinning on its axis, it is also moving around the sun, and our solar system is moving through space spinning around the center of the Milky Way, AND the Milky Way is accelerating through space. We don't perceive the motion because everything else is moving at the same time, in the same way that we are moving.
If you are traveling in a car (we'll assume moving smoothly down the road), you look around the car and see the others in the car just passively sitting there. The only way you know you are moving is to look out the window.
You can however observe the "motion" of clouds. In reality, part of the motion you see is associated with the rotation of the Earth. You can also see the sun rise or set which also occurs because of the Earth's rotation.
In thinking about forces, no forces cancel out. There are forces that can be measured associated with the acceleration that goes with the earth's rotation. But it's not something you feel.
William W.
Perhaps my answer was not that well thought out. The major point of discussion here is that, in Physics, there is no one reference frame that is better than any other. If you are viewing your reference frame from, say, a point inside your house, then things like your toaster can be thought of as stationary, with respect to your house. If you are a passenger in your family's car, and that car is traveling at 60 mph down the road but your frame of reference is inside the car, then you could say you are stationary with respect to your car's seat. But, when viewed from an external frame of reference along side the road, your car is traveling at 60 mph, and so are you (because you are in the car). Our house, our parked vehicle, our toaster, everything that is on the Earth, all move with the Earth. So, although these things are in motion with respect to some motionless point in space, our house is not moving with respect to a point in your front yard. And, again, our toaster is not moving with respect to our house, and so forth. This might seem a little confusing but it is important to reduce these complexities down to a simple statement. Motion is relative to the frame of reference from which it is viewed.05/30/24
Hailey P.
Gotcha. So even though the Earth is rotating and moving (spinning) that doesn’t mean the house is rotating or moving or spinning right? Or the car or a toaster. Right?05/30/24
Hailey P.
Gotcha. So even though the Earth is rotating and moving (spinning) that doesn’t mean the house is rotating or moving or spinning right? Or the car or a toaster. Right?06/03/24
Mark O.
06/05/24
Hailey P.
Gotcha. So the items aren’t actually spinning necessarily is what you’re saying? Like our house and cars aren’t actually spinning? Right?06/21/24
Hailey P.
Thank you for your answer. So, we do not feel the motion because we are rotating with the Earth? Our house is not moving or in motion though, right? Or a parked vehicle. Or objects inside a home. (non-living objects)05/30/24