4.2 Earth’s Rotation Rotation Earth spinning on its axis Earth takes 24 hours or 1 day to make one complete rotation Rotation causes day and night

Evidence of Earth’s rotation Foucault’s Pendulum Pendulum swing changed every hour, evidence that earth was turning under it Coriolis Effect Winds are deflected (turned) toward the west….due to Earth spinning or rotating toward the east Evidence of Earth’s rotation

Axis Earth is tilted on its axis 23.5o

Time 24 hours in one day 24 standard time zones on Earth (15o of longitude each)

Prime Meridian Move westward – move clocks back to an earlier time Move eastward – change clocks to a later time

International Date Line When travelers cross the International Date Line, they change their calendar by one day Move westward, go ahead a day