# Earth, Gravity, Helicopter, rocket, and rotation question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-helicopter-rocket-and-rotation-question/225221 "2004-01-19T18:49:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-helicopter-rocket-and-rotation-question/225221/21 "2004-01-20T22:45:58Z")
noname, no offense, but pretty much everything you said is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-helicopter-rocket-and-rotation-question/225221/22 "2004-01-20T22:50:35Z")
> [@noname](#): > > Even if you don’t move the controls in any directions, you are still being pulled by the earth with its gravitational force. The earthe pulls you along with as it rotates on its axis once every 24hrs. It is for this reason that you jump the same distance (all things remaining same) whether from east to west or west to east. Not correct. The gravitational field of a rotating sphere is identical to that of a static sphere. If you jump, you’re _already_ moving at the speed of the rotation of the earth’s surface, so the trajectory of the jump will be a parabolica, added to which is the minimal effect of the gravity of the earth. But you’ll effectively be travelling at the same horizontal speed as the earth, and so land in the ‘same’ place. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-helicopter-rocket-and-rotation-question/225221/23 "2004-01-20T22:54:36Z")
errr I mean a parabola ---
**Author:** ![emarkp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@emarkp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emarkp)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2004, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-helicopter-rocket-and-rotation-question/225221/24 "2004-01-21T09:24:15Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > The gravitational field of a rotating sphere is identical to that of a static sphere. True for the Newtonian model of gravity, but IIRC General Relativity introduces the concept of Frame Dragging around a rotating body. Granted, the effect from the Earth is very small… ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-helicopter-rocket-and-rotation-question/225221/25 "2004-01-21T14:20:50Z")
On the ball in the space station… How noticeable would the degree of change on the ball be if you threw it against the rotation? ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-helicopter-rocket-and-rotation-question/225221/26 "2004-01-21T16:21:37Z")
> [@clayton\_e](#): > > On the ball in the space station… How noticeable would the degree of change on the ball be if you threw it against the rotation? 'Bout the same with the rotation. [Here](http://www.badastronomy.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6109) is a thread from last June on the subject, with graphics, from over at the Bad Astronomy bulletin board. ---
**Author:** ![mrbuddylee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@mrbuddylee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrbuddylee)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-helicopter-rocket-and-rotation-question/225221/27 "2004-01-21T18:55:23Z")
Wow, thank you all so much for the really great answers. I tried to explain this to my friend that originally asked the question, but he said he needed pictures. 🙂 However, a couple other friends reallly enjoyed hearing about this. Thanks again to all of you! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-helicopter-rocket-and-rotation-question/225221.md?page=1)