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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 2013-12-22 02:03, Alex Blainey
wrote:<br>
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cite="mid:8D0CCD1163464E6-804-34910@webmail-d259.sysops.aol.com"
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<div> <font size="2">I had a crazy idea while designing an
integrated solar panel roof system the other day. What if we
make a maglev track around the equator, build a big solid
continuous train on it like a hoola hoop around the world.<br>
Would it start to rotate with no driving force other than
Earths rotation? Effectivley it would actually be standing
still and the planet continuing to do what it does and
rotating underneath it.<br>
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Is there a constant wind at the equator due to the Earth's rotation?
No. The train will be at rest relative to the ground when it starts
levitating and there is no force on it. And if it had any velocity,
friction with the surroundings would slow it down (even in an
evacuated tunnel there are always some losses, including ohmic
electrical losses due to vortex currents).<br>
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Then it got really wierd. What would happen to such a
stationary (non rotating from a helio centric point of view)
object? I personally believe that Earths orbit around the
sun is partly a reaction to teh gravitational pull from the
sun. </font></div>
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Uh. How much physics do you know? Earth orbits *because* of gravity.
And yes, something that lacked orbital velocity would just fall in.
Move 30 km/s back from Earth, and you will fall in. But if you do it
on a track around Earth you only cancel the attraction from the Sun,
not from the Earth. However, if you move fast enough you (8 km/s)
get to surface orbital speed - you will be in orbit on ground level.
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Dr Anders Sandberg
Future of Humanity Institute
Oxford Martin School
Oxford University
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