# In what sense does the moon rotate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 7, 2006, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358 "2006-03-07T09:12:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/21 "2006-03-08T03:07:53Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > You’re just mean. > > Keep up the good work. 😃 The only way to get to these kinds of people is to be better at it than they are. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/22 "2006-03-08T03:25:03Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > > [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > > > > [@Q.E.D.](#): > > > > > > Ask him if he thinks electricity travels through wires. > > > > You’re just mean. > > > > Keep up the good work. > > > > Stranger > > 😃 > > The only way to get to these kinds of people is to be better at it than they are. Maybe he, or she, will say that electricity is carried by traveling electrical charges and in many, many cases the wires are where the charges are. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/23 "2006-03-08T03:31:47Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > Maybe he, or she, will say that electricity is carried by traveling electrical charges and in many, many cases the wires are where the charges are. Ah, but the charges (if, conceptually speaking, we mean the charges to be the electrons, which is the proper meaing) don’t travel, or at least not very fast. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/24 "2006-03-08T03:33:33Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > Ah, but the charges (if, conceptually speaking, we mean the charges to be the electrons, which is the proper meaing) don’t travel, or at least not very fast. > > Stranger But they do travel. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/25 "2006-03-08T05:29:02Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > But they do travel. 😉 Well, yes, but that’s not really what contributes to the conduction of current. Wait a minute…[post=6687165]we’ve discussed this before[/post], haven’t we? 😉 I’ve even had EE professors who were, shall we say, less than acquainted with the physical mechanisms of solid state energy transmission. Heck, even Feynman gets it wrong at one point in his eponymous _Lectures_. The whole “flowing water” analogy, while useful as an initial metaphor for electric current, is conceptually incorrect at the subatomic level. In the end, it isn’t the fact that the electrons flow, but that they jump up and down, like punkers at an X gig, that makes energy go from Point A to Point B. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/26 "2006-03-08T14:04:29Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > In the end, it isn’t the fact that the electrons flow, but that they jump up and down, like punkers at an X gig, that makes energy go from Point A to Point B. I prefer the “drunken revelers at a football game, doing the wave” metaphor. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/27 "2006-03-08T15:40:31Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Ask him if he thinks electricity travels through wires. Ask him if a bicycle stays upright on two wheels because of gyroscopic forces. Or, the Monty Hall problem. While many know-it-alls are familiar with the simple “you should switch” answer, I think most haven’t thought through the subtlety that, if the question is not framed so that it constrains Monty to always having to offer a switch, then always switching is not the right answer. But that’s another thread. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/28 "2006-03-08T16:01:07Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Ask him if a bicycle stays upright on two wheels because of gyroscopic forces. Heh. Another good one. ---
**Author:** ![PBear42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PBear42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PBear42)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/29 "2006-03-08T16:34:15Z")
Stranger and Q.E.D., thank you. That single-handedly justified all the time I’ve wasted lurking (and occasionally posting) on the SDMB. As for the OP, bear in mind that there ain’t no dark side of the moon [either](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_112.html). Ergo, the moon rotates with respect to the Sun. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/30 "2006-03-08T16:41:22Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Or, the Monty Hall problem. While many know-it-alls are familiar with the simple “you should switch” answer, I think most haven’t thought through the subtlety that, if the question is not framed so that it constrains Monty to always having to offer a switch, then always switching is not the right answer. But that’s another thread. Grrrr…that’s just [a bit of weasling by Uncle Cec’](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_189.html). The formulation of the problem assumes that the contestant always gets a chance to switch; otherwise, the problem makes no sense. Actually, if you really want to harass the guy, get a copy of Jearl Walker’s [The Flying Circus of Physics With Answers](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047102984X) and bombard him with questions on various phenomena. Heck, get it anyway…it’s a great read, even for someone who isn’t interested in the technical bits. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/31 "2006-03-08T16:57:27Z")
Keeping your face toward something as you go around it **is** rotating. Think about square dancing. Swing your partner. She keeps her face toward you, and roatates. Do si do. Now she doesn’t rotate, and likewise doesn’t keep her face toward you. Tris ---
**Author:** ![PBear42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PBear42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PBear42)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/32 "2006-03-08T17:03:34Z")
At the risk of opening a huge can of worms, agree with Stranger. Of course the question of whether to switch only arises if a switch is offered. The key is that Monty always opens the wrong door. That means the unopened door is twice as likely to be correct as the one originally selected. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/33 "2006-03-08T17:11:27Z")
What’s all this about rotating cans of worms and Mont Hall on a bicycle? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/34 "2006-03-08T17:16:13Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > What’s all this about rotating cans of worms and Mont Hall on a bicycle? You forgot the drunken revelers traveling on wires. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/35 "2006-03-08T17:46:29Z")
Monty Hall can ride a bicycle on a wire while rotating a can of worms on his tongue while being heckled by drunken football revelers? What a stud! Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/36 "2006-03-08T17:55:10Z")
Monty Hall can ride a bicycle on a wire while rotating a can of worms on his tongue while being heckled by drunken football revelers? What a stud! Stranger ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/37 "2006-03-08T18:05:28Z")
He should audition for Cirque du Soleil. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/38 "2006-03-08T18:30:17Z")
Maybe he should also declare himself a natural citizen so he doesn’t have to pay income tax, then start his own country. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/39 "2006-03-08T18:41:53Z")
> [@](#): > > So if the pull of the Earth’s gravity were suddenly negated in some fashion, and the moon were released from its orbit and flew off into space in a straight line, would it still be rotating on its axis once every 28 days? I believe the answer to this is no. The moon is currently rotating on its axis every 28 days as well as revolving about the center of the earth-moon system every 28 days. If the earth were removed, it would no longer be doing the latter but instead would have its own orbit about the sun. Thus, the only way that conservation of angular momentum could be achieved (its current rotation PLUS revolution momenta) would be for the moon to rotate somewhat faster. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358/40 "2006-03-08T18:47:11Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I believe the answer to this is no. The moon is currently rotating on its axis every 28 days as well as revolving about the center of the earth-moon system every 28 days. If the earth were removed, it would no longer be doing the latter but instead would have its own orbit about the sun. Thus, the only way that conservation of angular momentum could be achieved (its current rotation PLUS revolution momenta) would be for the moon to rotate somewhat faster. This makes sense. Just like if Monty Hall was ice skating on his bicycle… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-sense-does-the-moon-rotate/347358.md?page=3)