No wonder I can't get anything done!

[ToSeek]

The length of the day has been getting shorter since 1992

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ToSeek on 2002-01-24 09:44 ]</font>

[GrapesOfWrath]

Now we know why there hasn't been any leap seconds lately. The earth's rotation has been getting shorter, eh?

Note that that link says "The shortest day in the past 100 years was August 2, 2001, when the length of time that it took Earth to make one complete turn on its axis actually dipped below 24 hours by about one-thousandth of a second."

We know that it actually takes only about 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds.

[ToSeek]

On 2002-01-23 22:58, GrapesOfWrath wrote:
Note that that link says "The shortest day in the past 100 years was August 2, 2001, when the length of time that it took Earth to make one complete turn on its axis actually dipped below 24 hours by about one-thousandth of a second."

We know that it actually takes only about 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds.

Or, in this instance, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 3.999 seconds. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ToSeek on 2002-01-24 08:06 ]</font>

[Mnemonia]

"The length of the day changes about a millisecond over the course of a year," says Gross. "It gradually increases in the winter, when Earth rotates more slowly, and decreases in the summer."

The length of the day -- how fast or slow the Earth rotates -- depends on how Earth's mass is distributed. Its mass includes the atmosphere, the solid Earth and its fluid core. When the distribution of Earth's mass changes, like during a major earthquake, so does the speed of its rotation.

"It's like an ice skater," says Gross, "who spins faster as she brings in her arms. She is changing her mass distribution."

This is so damned obvious I'm suprised Science News & JPL bothered to post it. The Earth is closer to the Sun in the Northern hemisphere's winter, so shouldn't the Earth as a whole be made warmer then? And if warm air, water, and presumably mantle rise, then that's when "the arms go out" and the spin is slower (although just barely). Basically he just figured out how much slower and makes it sound like some astonishing revelation.

By the way, when did our iron core melt into a fluid?

[Kaptain K]

Inner core = solid
Outer core = fluid

[James]

On 2002-01-24 15:35, Kaptain K wrote:
Inner core = solid
Outer core = fluid

So, the Outer core would be kinda like the lubricant used to keep hinges and joints working?

what kind of lubricant are we talkin' about fellas?

[GrapesOfWrath]

On 2002-01-24 08:05, ToSeek wrote:
Or, in this instance, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 3.999 seconds.

Naw, I think it's actually 4.01 seconds.

[Pi Man]

On 2002-01-24 22:26, GrapesOfWrath wrote:

On 2002-01-24 08:05, ToSeek wrote:
Or, in this instance, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 3.999 seconds.

Naw, I think it's actually 4.01 seconds.

No, no, no! You all have it wrong. it's 23 hours, 56 minutes and 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 1058209749445923078164062862089 seconds!
[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

P.S. Don't come after me with evidence otherwise! It was just a joke!
P.P.S. That number is Pi to 80 digits! I memorized it that far!

[Pi Man]

On 2002-01-24 22:26, GrapesOfWrath wrote:

On 2002-01-24 08:05, ToSeek wrote:
Or, in this instance, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 3.999 seconds.

Naw, I think it's actually 4.01 seconds.

No, no, no! You all have it wrong. it's 23 hours, 56 minutes and 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 1058209749445923078164062862089 seconds!
[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

P.S. Don't come after me with evidence otherwise! It was just a joke!
P.P.S. That number is Pi to 80 digits! I memorized it that far(I'm just a little bit obsessive)!

[David Hall]

Pi to 80 digits, that's impressive. Of course you've got the name to go with it.

I've memorized about 20 digits myself. I've been slowly learning them bit by bit. I probably won't go much further though. Too many other things to learn. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[John Kierein]

THE CORE MAY BE SLIPPING? It normally rotates slightly faster than the surface.
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/press_r...s/song/pr.html

20 digits should be easy. You can remember your ssn, address, phone number, PIN, other folks' phone numbers, the multiplication tables. String 'em all together and you get lots more than 20 digits. Just use a similar technique.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: john kierein on 2002-07-10 10:32 ]</font>

[Mespo_Man]

Okay,

But what happened to the argument that over the l-o-o-o-o-n-g term, the Earth's rotation is slowing down because of atmospheric friction with land masses? What about the much shorter work day that Fred Flintstone got away with at Jurassic Sand and Gravel that is part of the geologic record?


(:raig

[Alan G. Archer]

On 2002-07-10 09:10, Mespo_Man wrote:
Okay,

But what happened to the argument that over the l-o-o-o-o-n-g term, the Earth's rotation is slowing down because of atmospheric friction with land masses? What about the much shorter work day that Fred Flintstone got away with at Jurassic Sand and Gravel that is part of the geologic record?


(:raig

About
190 million years ago, Fred's day was about 56 minutes shorter than what we experience now. Also, there were about 382 days in his year. That's two extra weekends of bowling and Loyal Order of Water Buffalos lodge meetings. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Alan G. Archer on 2002-07-10 11:58 ]</font>

[xriso]

On 2002-07-09 18:22, Pi Man wrote:
No, no, no! You all have it wrong. it's 23 hours, 56 minutes and 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 1058209749445923078164062862089 seconds!
[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

P.S. Don't come after me with evidence otherwise! It was just a joke!
P.P.S. That number is Pi to 80 digits! I memorized it that far!

Come on! just 21 more digits and you can join the PI 100 club!!! (21 because we don't count the 3.)

http://www.acc.umu.se/~olletg/pi/tribute.html

Here, I'll spell them out to ya (where you left off): ...986280348253421170679...

I used to be at 150, but didn't practice and forgot down to 100.

[Mespo_Man]

Hokey Smokes, Bullwinkle!!!

Alan, I read the article you referenced in your post. Although I agree with the fossil record interpretation of shorter days in the past, Mr Arbab's conclusion about increased gravity, "G", is mind-boggling. If I interpret his remarks correctly, the Earth and every other planetary body in this solar system are in death spirals toward the Sun due to the increase in gravity over time.

HUH???? Is his paper a simple case of a Sunday all-nighter for a Monday morning submission deadline?


(:raig

[nebularain]

On 2002-07-10 12:42, xriso wrote:

On 2002-07-09 18:22, Pi Man wrote:
No, no, no! You all have it wrong. it's 23 hours, 56 minutes and 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 1058209749445923078164062862089 seconds!
[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

P.S. Don't come after me with evidence otherwise! It was just a joke!
P.P.S. That number is Pi to 80 digits! I memorized it that far!

Come on! just 21 more digits and you can join the PI 100 club!!! (21 because we don't count the 3.)

http://www.acc.umu.se/~olletg/pi/tribute.html

Here, I'll spell them out to ya (where you left off): ...986280348253421170679...

I used to be at 150, but didn't practice and forgot down to 100.

Some people have wa-a-a-a-a-a-y too much time on their hands....

[Pi Man]

Way too much time? I wouldn't say that... Just enough too much time to memorize 80 random integers, in order, from 0 through 9, for no particular reason.

By the way, I didn't need the next 21 digits of Pi. I already found this!

I should try to tie Pi into astronomy. If we someday build a circular space station that is one light year in radius, it could predict the shape of the universe. The area of the circle would be Pi*R^2, right? If the universe is spherical(i.e. has positive curvature), then the area would have to be greater than Pi r squared. If the universe is saddle shaped(i.e. has negative curvature), the area must be less than Pi r squared.

'Nuff said

Is the slowing of the earth's rotation due(at least in part) to tital locking(like with earth's moon?) Or is it completely due to friction?

&infin;
&pi;=&sum;(4/(4n+1)-4/(4n+3))
n=0


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Pi Man on 2002-07-11 17:23 ]</font>

[Kaptain K]

Is the slowing of the earth's rotation due(at least in part) to tital locking(like with earth's moon?) Or is it completely due to friction?

The friction that is slowing the Earth's rotation is caused by tidal drag (from the Moon and to a lesser degree, the Sun). This will eventually result in the Earth being tidally locked to the Moon. Unless the Sun goes red giant first.

[beskeptical]

On 2002-07-11 12:11, Pi Man wrote:
I should try to tie Pi into astronomy.

I think they put Pi on that disk that went with the vehicle,(Voyager X?), that is traveling out of our solar system. If any aliens encounter the ship and figure out how to read the disk they'll know the ship is from a technological race and not some natural phenomonon. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] There was some kind of logic like that.

Then again, maybe I'm confusing memories again. I might have had a grade school teacher that suggested we beam Pi out into space so an alien who encountered the radio message would know it was from us and not a Quasar or something.

[nebularain]

"When the moon hits the sky like a big pizza pie, that's amore"

Oops! Wrong "pi"!
[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]

[beskeptical]

[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] That's cute.

[xriso]

On 2002-07-11 12:11, Pi Man wrote:
Way too much time? I wouldn't say that... Just enough too much time to memorize 80 random integers, in order, from 0 through 9, for no particular reason.

By the way, I didn't need the next 21 digits of Pi. I already found this!

I should try to tie Pi into astronomy. If we someday build a circular space station that is one light year in radius, it could predict the shape of the universe. The area of the circle would be Pi*R^2, right? If the universe is spherical(i.e. has positive curvature), then the area would have to be greater than Pi r squared. If the universe is saddle shaped(i.e. has negative curvature), the area must be less than Pi r squared.

I think that cosmologists already figured out that it's overall flat (can anyone confirm this?). But your test would be a rather interesting experiment. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[ToSeek]

On 2002-07-11 18:25, beskeptical wrote:
I think they put Pi on that disk that went with the vehicle,(Voyager X?), that is traveling out of our solar system. If any aliens encounter the ship and figure out how to read the disk they'll know the ship is from a technological race and not some natural phenomonon. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] There was some kind of logic like that.

Didn't see any mention of pi in this description of what went on Voyager.

[beskeptical]

On 2002-07-12 14:10, ToSeek wrote:

On 2002-07-11 18:25, beskeptical wrote:
I think they put Pi on that disk that went with the vehicle,(Voyager X?), that is traveling out of our solar system. If any aliens encounter the ship and figure out how to read the disk they'll know the ship is from a technological race and not some natural phenomonon. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] There was some kind of logic like that.

Didn't see any mention of pi in this description of what went on Voyager.

Fascinating. I guess it was the grade school teacher. I don't think it's a false memory because I wouldn't have thought of it myself.

[Donnie B.]

Could you have confused pi with prime numbers?

I believe that the Pioneer plaque included groups of dots in the sequence 1-2-3-5-7-11... to demonstrate that it was an artifact, not a natural object.

[beskeptical]

On 2002-07-13 10:31, Donnie B. wrote:
Could you have confused pi with prime numbers?

I believe that the Pioneer plaque included groups of dots in the sequence 1-2-3-5-7-11... to demonstrate that it was an artifact, not a natural object.

Nah. I'm sure that since it wasn't on the disc, it had to be the grade school teacher. It's one of those funny memories that stay with you for who knows what reason. There is strong evidence for false memories that can be similar, but I wouldn't have thought of sending Pi. And, prime numbers are only prime in base 10 aren't they? That could be used if base 10 is first explained but wouldn't it be harder to send out as a radio signal? Pi could be sent out in base 2, a more likely universal system since it's required for our digital communication.

[ljbrs]

Talking about memorization, Albert Einstein once stated that he never memorized anything that he could look up. I am fully in agreement with him on that score. I understand that he had to look up his telephone number in the telephone book because he never called his own number.

So, whenever I forget anything as important as my own telephone number, I always quote Einstein.

ljbrs [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Donnie B.]

On 2002-07-13 14:30, beskeptical wrote:
And, prime numbers are only prime in base 10 aren't they?

Certainly not! Prime is prime, no matter what the notation.

[xriso]

On 2002-07-13 10:31, Donnie B. wrote:
Could you have confused pi with prime numbers?

I believe that the Pioneer plaque included groups of dots in the sequence 1-2-3-5-7-11... to demonstrate that it was an artifact, not a natural object.

IMHO, any alien race that is stupid enough to not have already figured out that it is an artificial object is not worth communicating with. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]