https://xkcd.com/2882/

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For decades I’ve been working off the accumulated rotation from one long afternoon on a merry-go-round when I was eight.

    • @marcos@lemmy.world
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      1410 months ago

      Yes, we would affect the Earth’s rotation. It’s just by a ridiculously small amount that nobody would ever be able to measure.

        • @Aceticon@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          The mass of the Earth is 5.972 × 1024, so you would need 5.972 × 1020 humans of 100 Kg each all turning in the same direction to make the Earth rotate 1% the other way (so about 597,200,000 trillion humans).

          PS: I might be slightly wrong here as rotations have to do with angular momentum which is a bit more complicated than the linear kind because rotational inertia doesn’t depende on mass alone, but the law of conservation of angular momentum does apply.

          • @m0darn@lemmy.ca
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            110 months ago

            I was going to say a similar thing, how are you going to get gone without canceling it out.

            But also if you walked away from the equator then walked until you were directly north/ south of your home before walking home, some effect would remain.

              • @m0darn@lemmy.ca
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                110 months ago

                It’s because your return journey is closer to the axis of the earth so your action has less torque.