As the earth rotates about its axis, a person living in his house at the equator goes in a circular orbit of radius equal to the radius of the earth. Why does he/she not feel weightless as a satellite passenger does?

Q- As the earth rotates about its axis, a person living in his house at the equator goes in a circular orbit of radius equal to the radius of the earth. Why does he/she not feel weightless as a satellite passenger does?

A -A satellite passenger feels weightless because the satellite is in free fall around the Earth. A person at the equator does not feel weightless because the force of gravity is still acting on them significantly, with only a tiny reduction due to Earth’s rotation.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top