If we put everyone in the world in one single spot, would the world tip or spin in a different direction?
353194
Well, there are fewer than 10 billion people and the average mass is less than 100kg, so the total mass of people will be less than 1 trillion kg. This is 10^12 kg. The mass of the earth is about 6*10^24 kg, so the total mass of people is less than one 6 trillionth of the mass of the earth. Not a huge effect.
520200
assumeing that one leg wasnt longer than the other, and that you couldnt fly and just walk straight out into space, you WOULDNT end up back where you started if walking in a straight line, because the earth isnt perfectly round...  you would have to walk east-west on the equator only
82103
I think because the world would be over populated.  Also, I think it is to give everyone else a "turn".
464463
Just set your reference point by yourself. Everywhere can be North in space.
1153063
If the Earth's rotation slowed down gradually over millions of years, and this is the most likely scenario, it would be a very different story. If the Earth slowed down to one rotation every year, called synchronous rotation, every area on Earth would be in either sunlight or darkness for one year. This would be similar to what the Moon goes through where for two weeks the front side of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun followed by the front side being in darkness for two weeks. \n\nBut what if the Earth stopped rotating completely? In that case, one half the Earth would be in daylight for half the year while the other side would be in darkness. The second half of the year it would be reversed. Temperature variations would be far more extreme then they are now. The temperature gradient would affect the wind circulation also. Air would move from the equator to the poles rather then in wind systems parallel to the equator as they are now.
882232
Know what? The answer is "yes", we could and would change the rotation of Earth. If every wheeled vehicle simultaneously accelerated eastward, Earth's rotation would slow a bit, and if they accelerated westward, it would speed up.  You can calculate the amount, it's actually a pretty simple physics application, starting with say 1 billion 3000-pound vehicles, say all of them spread out along the equator, all accelerate at 1 G, and given the mass of Earth, which is easily look-up-able.  Of course, we're probably talking a change of only picoseconds or maybe only femtoseconds per day, but it is a true and calculatable, even theoretically testable change.  Also note that friction, both during the mass-acceleration and especially once everybody hits the brakes, will impart the opposite force, resulting in a zero net gain.  In other words, a temporary, but no permanent change in rotational speed is possible under this scheme, unless somehow the vehicles, while accelerating, attain a speed sufficient to launch them into space at escape velocity.  Then their effect on Earth's rotation can remain behind as permanent.\n\nInteresting thought, huh?\n\n[Below added after reading the 2 posts below]\n\nOkay, I took a crack at the math, thank you wikipedia for the definitions and equations:\n\n1 billion cars of average of 1000 kilograms each, lined up along the equator accelerate simultaneously from a dead stop at a rate of 1G (32ft/sec^2).  Their combined net torque looks to be a force of 10^12 kg, approximately equal to 10^13 Newtons. If I understand wiki correctly, the change in the speed of the rotation of Earth (in radians per second) will be the previously-calculated torque divided by the moment of inertia of Earth, which should be:\n\n(2/5)(6*10^24)(13*10^6)\n\n so the change in speed will be:\n\n10^13/[(2/5)(6*10^24)(13*10^6)] radians per second =\n0.3*10^ -18 radians per second that the cars accelerate at 1G.  If they can do that for just 10 seconds, the change in Earth's rotation would total  3*10^ -18 radians per second, or .26*10^ -12 radians per day.  Earth's rotation is about 24*10^12 times faster, so I think altogether that works out to a net change of 3.6*10^ -9, or 3.6 picoseconds change per day in Earth's rotation?  Tho I pretty sure I've made at least a couple of mistakes along the way, I gotta love how that agrees with my original guesstimate above.\n\nJeeez, it's 2 in the morn - I really DO need to get a life...
12149
****Edit based on further details from asker *****\nSailing around the world is sailing within the sperhical confines of our planet.  If there were no athmosphere, or gravity, then we would simply fall off the earth.  However, as gravity is pushing us down, and is affecting the winds, ect within the athmosphere, we are bound to the surface of the water.  \n\nEven though a sphere is included in the define of spheroid, it is a type of spheroid, not the inclusive answer.  The fact that gravity pushes down on us from all around, mainly because the earth is spinning so fast, and other more complicated reasons; the sphereoid holds whatever is on it's surface down to adhere to the confines and shape of such a surface.\n\nEven if the world were flat, or a flattned sphereoid, we woudln't fall off, instead, we'd loop around to the otherside becasue gravity wouldn't allow us to actually 'drop' off the side of the cliff.  The inverse gravity on the other side of the plane would pull us to it's confine, or surface.\n\nSo, there's your answer.  Sorry i didn't get it more clear the first time.\n\nMathamatically you can say that gravity pushes us from all around using a tangent direction.  That means that no matter the point you are on this earth, gravity is pushing down on you within the same confines as any other like region.  As to falling off the earth, if gravity didn't exist, we wouldn't 'fall' exactly; we would more likely be thrown or float off the earth (thrown if the world is spinning).\n\n****End Edit.******\n\nThe world indeed is a sphere, but it is not a perfect sphere, due to the rotation of the earth around it's axis, as well as the rotation of the earth around the sun (central axis), the spinning and speed of the planet make it more of a spehere that jiggles, sometimes squeezed, and sometimes elongated.  But, not by much :) Just a bit :)
1067230
You're already in such a position, because each individual is bound up with everyone else.  Every little word and every action changes the whole world, for better or worse.
1105296
Earth is rotating at a speed of about 1100 miles per hour. If our planet suddenly stopped rotating, the atmosphere would still be in motion at that speed. The atmosphere would be moving so fast it would literally sweep the land masses clear of anything not anchored to bedrock, this would mean rocks, soil, trees, buildings, people and animals. All would be swept up into the atmosphere.\n\nIf the Earth's rotation slowed down gradually over millions of years, and this is the most likely scenario, it would be a very different story. If the Earth slowed down to one rotation every year, called synchronous rotation, every area on Earth would be in either sunlight or darkness for one year. This would be similar to what the Moon goes through where for two weeks the front side of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun followed by the front side being in darkness for two weeks.\n\nBut what if the Earth stopped rotating completely? In that case, one half the Earth would be in daylight for half the year while the other side would be in darkness. The second half of the year it would be reversed. Temperature variations would be far more extreme then they are now. The temperature gradient would affect the wind circulation also. Air would move from the equator to the poles rather then in wind systems parallel to the equator as they are now.
167554
It is highly unlikly that the earth will ever change the direction of rotation. A strong outside force must be present. But the rotation of the earth is slowing down over time due to the pull from the moon. dont worry if anything does change you will not be here to see it.
1178872
Not sure, but I have heard of an English prep school getting all the kids in one town to line up and jump at the exact same time thus changing the earth's axis. very slightly, i hope!
613764
I assume you are wondering if the Earth's rotation will come into play here.  \n\nThe answer is yes.  This is the same as asking if a ball thrown in an airplane will land back in the person's hand.  Why is that so?  Everything in the plane is moving at the same speed, even the air molecules inside the cabin.  So, when the ball is thrown up, since it had the plane's speed before it was thrown, it will have that speed while going in the air, and since the air molecules are trucking along with everything else, they won't hinder the ball's motion.  \n\nIf you were to be able to watch the ball be thrown from outside the cabin, you would see the ball follow a curved parabolic path, where everyone in the cabin would see it go straight up and straight down.  You would see that curved path, because of the ball's horizontal motion due to the plane's speed.  Everyone inside wouldn't not see that, because they too are traveling with that same horizontal motion.\n\nSame thing applies here.  You share the same tangential speed as the Earth's surface, and so do all of the air molecules.  If you were able to jump for that long of time, you and everyone else around you would see you go straight up and straight down.  However, if you were being watched from space, you would follow a parabolic curve because of your tangential motion.
730247
Yes, there is gravity at the center of the earth, but it would exert the same force in all directions at once, resulting in a net acceleration of zero.  Therefore, yes, you would float in the same manner as if you were in outer space.
442995
If its a matter of just some people then nothing may happen.But if everyone start to behave that way,then possibly in a long time the hands may change shape ,and so would legs,,becuase nothing in nature is "just like that".Everything has its own function and meaning.So not just the hands and legs would change positions but also ,thoughts,brains,habits,and almost everything in humanity could change.maybe we humans would call ourselves by a different name then.Earth would be downside up ;).\n(in medical terms this is an anomaly if it happens,and may be due to mutations of some kind,,,only similar and repeated mutations can change the course of life)
221462
Actually, No.\n\nIf our planet was anything but symetric about the access of rotation, it would develop a tremendous vibration or wobble.  This would lead either to localized forces that would eject people and things beyond the gravitational field, or would result in the complete breakup of the planet itself.\n\nSorry.
828703
What if we took the same approach in the area of science....For instance, we all know there is one SHAPE of the earth. Some say it is flat, others square, others rounded. Why not remove the fanaticism and just unite under the banner that we are all right. That all roads lead to the truth....\n\nGod is one. And blessed are those who worship Him "in spirit and in truth"
446986
Yes, it does, but by a very negligible amount.\n\nDue to the law of conservation of angular momentum, the Earth has some over all value for its angular momentum (and for that matter, so does the solar system and our entire galaxy, ... as well).  As thr plane is flying around the Earth, it has some angular momentum too, different from its original value just sitting still on the surface.  In order for the overall angular momentum of the Earth to remain constant, the Earth's rotation is effected ever so slightly.\nHowever, the effect is so small, it is not even noticible when we are talking about objects as miniscule as an air plane compared to the Earth.\nAlso, since, over all, on average, for every plane flying one way, there is another plane flying the other way (or when the plane returns), so the effects are all canceled out.\n\nIt is the same principle at work is your on a merry-go-round and you move closer in to the center or farther away (or in this case, around while spinning on the merry go round), angular momentum needs to be conserved, it is the law.