Earth's rotation speeding up

Factual Questions
1

OK, I feel dumb for asking this…

I am at a party and this woman tells me that the reason she is so tired and can’t get everything done is that there are actually less time in the day now. The earth’s rotation is apparently speeding up. Her chiropractor told her – I use my chiropractor for all my source of astrophysics info :rolleyes:.

I smiled and nodded and said something about my atomic clock getting off on my systems (I’m a sysadmin) and night becoming day.

My limited understand of astrophysics is that the earth’s speed of rotation is pretty darn constant. I would imagine any drift in rate would be only measureable in geologic time terms. But my knowledge is limited, so I’m asking - Is the rate of rotation constant?

2

I’m shocked you haven’t noticed, Dangerosa. I, myself, cannot get anywhere near enough sleep this year compared to last year. I mean, we must be getting at least an hour less of time, impacting not only sleep, but the amount of TV programs we can watch! :wink:

3

bwahaha! “my chiropractor told me” & “tired because the days are shorter”…thanks I needed that laugh!

For a human lifetime…for a human civilization…the Earth’s rotation is essentially constant.

But, in fact, the Earth’s rotation is slowing down, not speeding up! (The days are getting longer!)

From Ask The Astronomer

4

Actually, it’s slowing down due to the tidal effect of the moon. (The Earth did the same thing to it, eventually to the point that it keeps the same face to us.)

As to chiropractors: one told my wife that our infant daughter had pinched her “hiccup” nerve (he used the technical name), and that she’d need 8 weeks of realignment to get rid of her hiccups. He had her lay on my chest as he analyzed her, which entailed testing my ability to resist him moving my arm.

He then “treated” her, manipulating her neck. I have never heard her scream so much! After the session (for the “reduced” rate of $75), my wife acted as if it did any good. Then when her hiccups returned, she implied that she wanted to take CRB back. I stated my muted opinion that I didn’t think it did any good (hell, I hiccup half the time after meals like CRB did), and let it drop. And now, I can’t remember the last time she hiccupped.

IMO, they’re quacks!

5

Thanks, It was ringing every bullshit alarm in my head, but I wanted some facts, just in case she was right (with some really small, can’t possibly be noticed number).

I went to a chiropractor once, for a pinched siatic (sp?) nerve. That experience also set off my bullshit alarms.