Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-04-26
If the Earth Stood Still

THE result would never be recorded unless BY
i beings not subject the physical laws that gov
ern ~. You have drop Of water fall upon
redhot stove lid and disappear. leaving perhaps
slight stain on tho iron. so the earth II instanan-
eousy arrested. would leave only stain IN the
ether-a baby nebula.
In Us orbital speed Of eighteen and one-half miles
per second, II travels around the sun, the earth
carries IN its bosom magazine Of knetc energy, or
energy of notion which only needs TO change rs form
and become heat energy In order 20 blow the earth
by molecular explosion. into cloud u you arrest
motion you produce heat. Bang an anvil with
hammer and the iron is warmed. Fire A leaden bullet
against a steel target and the lead II melted lts
arrested motion IL transformed into heat n the
bullet fast enough II would be not merely melted
but yaponzed.
The energy Increases In proportion 10 the SQUARE
n this velocity, This Ia expressed IN very usetnl
formula follows.
b equals An w, which means that E, the kinetc
energy equal 10 one.hsf the product Of tho square
~ Tho velocity. v, multiplied by the weight or mass,
NJ, Of the body IN order 70 calculate the amount or
heat produced by the arrest Of body moving With
any given velocity first turn the expression Of
the knetic energy into foot-poundy and then the
foot.pounds into thermal heat, units. We get the
number Of foof-pounds by dividing the numerical vsus
N the kinotic energy by thlrtytwo the number Of
feet per second that the force ~ gravity npars 10
q falling body. Next We divide by Ts the number
amount n heat required 10 raise the temperature Of
ono pound Of water One degree fahrenheit
Tho velocity On the earth In fest psr second 10 N6D
This s The ~" of our formula, and squanng u we
ret 06G,gs24G Now, instead Of multiplying this by
the weight N the earth In pounds, which would give
10 bothepone numbers to handle, we simply call tho
eartbs weight or mass, unity, or one which when
multiplied into The value of squared does not alter
the figures above given, We next divide by two.
which gives the units Of knoe energy unit nsSy
then BY thiry-tRo which gives the otpounds, ard
finally BY IN which gives me thermal heat units
This last quotleni ou' 1911 Ys&, very nearly
This means that II the earth were arrested its
knetlc energy, or energy of motion, wonld bs trans
formed into heat energy sufficient TO raise tho tenn
perature ~ every pound Of ~ mass. II that mass
were wholly water 1885 degrees But tho rise Of
temperature In the solid materials would be several
times greater yet because the specific heat Of water
IL higher than TINT Of solid bodies
OF course nothing could resist temperature Of
several hundred thousand degrees Iron rnes NJ only
272 degrees, and bolls at iH2 II IL bad enough 70
have automobile, railway train stop sud
denly, but they cannot turn us into puffs OF yapor
although they may do worse.
ia very important for the interests of the human
that the earth be kept going, just II IL very
important for the comfort Of party Of boys on
bobsled riding down long Icy hill that they should
not encounter high and solid stone wall
II the stoppage Of the earth brought about
gradually. by rushing into nebula, for Instance, na
meteor PUSHES into the atmosphere. so much heat
would be developed at the surface that tho superficial
rocks Of the crust would be melted, and noun
taDs would disappear In steam and smoke, and oyery
form of life would be snuffed out, although the I'm
toror Of the globe. II the flight through the nobua
was not indefinitely prolonged might remain un-
affected By The exterior confagration, just as the
core Of meteoHte which has traversed tho
atmosphere and fallen upon the earth remains cold
although the surface has been fused off by the heat
developed by friction.
We have considered only the velocity Of the earths
revolution around the sun. but II Is also rushing,
together with the sun, ~ the rate Of about twelve
miles per second toward point IN the northern sky
and the resultant OF the motions II used in tho
calculations would make the figures for the heat gen
Grated by the earths arrest stll formidable,
but we would not notice the differences hundred
thousand degrees would settle our affairs as well as
a million could do itl
Then there Is the motion o. rotation on tie axis
In this the velocity Is comparatively insignificant,
but n 1t suddenly stopped would fly out
OF their beds pour the continents along their
western shores accompanied by wind all around
tho earth having an initial speed at the equator OF
nearly 1900 feet per second. and In latitude Of
OF about 100 feet per second