Monday, July 13, 2009

Topsy Turvy

Do you like your planets clockwise or counter-clockwise?

Viewed from "above" the North Pole, the Earth rotates CCW. But viewed from "above" the South Pole, our planet rotates CW. "Above" and "Below" are meaningless once we leave the surface of the planet. There is no "up" or "down" in space!

So why is it that we always picture the North Pole as "above" and the South Pole as "Below"? Cultural baggage, I say! North=down, South=up, East=left, and West=right is just as good as what we're used to!

(thanks to an old West Wing episode that turned me onto this idea years ago)

1 comment:

  1. I entirely agree with you that the concept of up and down related to North and South is meaningless; however, it seems to be in our nature to need to feel that they are one way or the other.

    So, in the spirit of that need, might I suggest that since the majority of the world's population live in the Northern hemisphere, and since most people may prefer to feel that they live on top of the world rather than under it, the majority of opinion might be to consider the North as 'up'.

    Of course, since the earth is unlikely to change the direction of its spin just because we've changed our minds about which way is up, everyone is entitled to consider it whichever way they like.

    I may opt for East being 'up' next week.

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