NextPrevious

Defining the World

The Earth

Does the Earth spin at a constant rate?

The rotation of the Earth actually has slight variations. Motion and activity within the Earth, such as friction due to tides, wind, and other forces, change the speed of the planet’s rotation a little. These changes only amount to milliseconds over hundreds of years but do cause people who keep exact time to make corrections every few years.



Close

This is a web preview of the "The Handy Geography Answer Book" app. Many features only work on your mobile device. If you like what you see, we hope you will consider buying. Get the App