We all know that Earth is spinning and one of the most asked questions is what will happen if it stops spinning? There is no particular reason for asking this question but only sheer curiosity that we all possess. Neil deGrasse Tyson, an Astrophysicist, responded to this question with; ‘It would just be a bad day on earth…I’m just sayin.’
The fact is, that Neil couldn’t be more spot on. Here’s why; earth is spinning at a rate of 465 meters per second due east at the equator. Now we have all hear about inertia; a body tends to resist any change to its momentum/state. So here’s what going to happen when the earth stops spinning; all that is not bolted to the earth will fly off eastward until it stops and this includes people, animals, cars, ships, seawater and what not!
Apart from being sent flying off, there are all sorts of natural disasters that will take place; crazy strong winds and raging fires, Tsunamis and what not. The entire surface of the earth, as per the speculation, will be devastated. Those who do manage to survive this will have to experience an increase in gravity by 0.3%. However, that would be least of their worries since the food shortage might kill them off before they get to worry about increased weight.
Here’s an amazing fact (scary too to some extent), earth is slowing down slowly every year but the noticeable effect may take millions of years to take place. Check out the youtube video below to see what will happen to life on earth if earth stops spinning: