Did the earth move for you?

Aristotle: Reminds me of a blogger mate of mine. I think we should be told.

If the earth is spinning at 840 mph, why is it when we jump in the air the ground below us doesn’t move? What a good question, I’m glad you asked it. Common sense dictates that during our sojourn in the air the earth would have passed us by and we would probably be dashed unto death against the nearest concrete building. It doesn’t happen, of course. You could argue that this doesn’t occur because the earth is not revolving a jot. Tis stationary and it is the golden global thingy in the sky which moves around the earth; makes sense doesn’t it? Mayhap the world is flat. 

A few Greek philosophers in 5th century BC gave credence to the possibility of earth’s rotation. However, Aristotle (in the 4th century BC) favoured a static earth. Such was Aristotle’s reputation that this view became fixed in the minds of men. Aristotle was an astonishing individual and if his work had remained the basis for future study all would have been well. Unfortunately, the great man was so revered by later generations that constructive thought and speculation ossified for over 15 hundred years. Thus Thomas Aquinas, the definitive 13th-century catholic scholar, believed in a stationary earth mostly because of Aristotle's authority. We would have to wait until the 16th century for the earth to start to move in earnest. The astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus, in the 16th century proposed a rotating earth. The medieval scholastic world was coming to an end and the modern scientific age beckoned, with aplomb. Although at the time many scholars, especially catholic scholars, rejected the notion mainly on the basis of theology rather than sound scientific theory. 

The reason we are not all dashed to pieces as the earth rotates is a consequence of 'conservation of momentum.' As the earth spins, the atmosphere and everything on the earth's surface continue to move with the earth at the same speed. Consider yourself in a moving train travelling at 60 mph. If you jumped would you expect to land further down the carriage? Of course not- because you are travelling at the same speed as the train. The earth imparts momentum which is conserved as predicted and shown experimentally by Isaac Newton. Objects will keep moving at the same velocity unless a force is applied. The force required to overcome the earth's momentum would be prodigious. 

Few today would dispute that the earth spins on its axis. Scientific theory and observation have proved beyond a doubt that indeed this is the case. To think otherwise is an exercise in futility and madness. But there are Muslim Clerics who would teach otherwise. Sheik Bandar al-Khaibari is to be seen on YouTube expressing the view that "the earth is stationary and does not move." He backs up his claim with spurious logic. I have included a link to this illustrious video where the good Sheik explains why we foolish Westerners have got it all wrong. The musings are risible because of the Sheik's rhetorical sincerity. Let us be frank, this sort of nonsense has no place in the modern world. It belongs to a world that should have withered away a long time ago. Radical Muslims can believe what they like while we more enlightened folk snigger from the sidelines. Unfortunately, they would, if they could, impose their primitive beliefs on us all and this is something we should resist with all our power and  will.

Newton: Let there be light, mechanics, laws of the universe, calculus.......

 

Sheik: Let the earth be flat
 Arse 
Watch and weep

Arrrrgh! Now you know why I want to burn stuff on a regular basis