We define a solar day as the time it takes for the Sun to go from its highest po

Question

We define a solar day as the time it takes for the Sun to go from its highest point in the sky on one day to its highest point in the sky on the next day and we divide that time into 24 hours.

A sidereal day is defined as the time it takes for Earth to rotate exactly 360° about its axis.

5. When does Earth rotate a greater amount, during a solar day or during a sidereal day?

6. Which takes a shorter amount of time, a solar day or a sidereal day?

Note: since Earth rotates more than 360° in a solar day, a sidereal day is about 4 minutes shorter than a solar day.

Imagine that sometime in the future the direction that Earth orbits the Sun is somehow reversed so that Earth now orbits the Sun approximately 1° clockwise each day. However, the rotation about its own axis remains counterclockwise at the same rate.

Tip: Draw this scenario! Use the image in Figure 1 and change it to match the new situation. I can't do this in my head either, so put something on paper!

7. Through how many degrees will Earth now rotate in a sidereal day?

8. Through how many degrees will Earth now rotate in a solar day?

9. Which is now longer, the solar of the sidereal day?

10. Is a sidereal day now longer, shorter, or the same length as a sidereal day was before we changed Earth's orbital direction?

11. Is a solar day now longer, shorter, or the same length as a solar day was before we changed Earth's orbital direction?

Explanation / Answer

5) as we know that the solar day and the sidereal day have its own specifications and have the own orientations for the movement and the motions of a space body along a path way to the destiny. now here we need to determine when the earth will suffer a greater rotation from the both the cases. according to the solar day the roation is from point ot the point basis in the path of the travelling of the body in space with respect to the time on the other hand in the case of the sidereal day the rotation is take place in the axis only. but to the fact that the time to rotate in sidereal is shorter and thus have a short rotation as compared to the solar day. so the answer is solar day will have the greater rotaions.

6) the shorter amount of time will be taken by the sidereal as we have already mentioned it in the above part that in case of the solar day the earth have to cover a greater durations of the rotations due to travel along the path way from one point to the next point in the space but for the case of the sidereal it just take in the axis of the earth and which have the short durations as compared to the solar day. so the answer to this is sidereal will have a short durations.

7) the earth will rotate about (pi/180)x360+theta in the sidereal day. this means that the in case of the clockswise rotations the rotations takes place in the short durations for the case of the sidereal but in this case we have given the counterclockwise rotation and this will be higher for this as it just getting the directions of the rotaional angles in the reverse directions. thus to obtain the 360 rotation it will start in the reverse order.

8) the earth will rotate about (pi/180)x360-theeta. in the solar day.this means that the in case of the clockswise rotations the rotations takes place in the long durations for the case of the solar day but in this case we have given the counterclockwise rotation and this will be shorter for this as it just getting the directions of the rotaional angles in the reverse directions. thus to obtain the 360 rotation it will start in the reverse order.

9) as we have already mentioned this in the above case in 7 and 8. from this we conclude that the sidereal will be longer now due to reverse order of rotations.

10) it was shorter before the change of the orbital direction. it is because at that case the rotation was in the clockwise directions and it have to rotate in the 360 degree which was shorter as compared to the solar day. thus it will be shorter before change of the orbital directions.

11) it was longer before the change of the orbital direction. it is because at that case the rotation was in the clockwise directions and it have to travel from the point to point basis in the orbital motions and path lines which was longer as compared to the sidereal day. thus it will be longer before change of the orbital directions.

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