The Earth spins, in doing this it selectively exposes it's surface to the sun. One complete rotation takes about a day, any it always will. However, the length of that day will increase, because the Earth's spin is gradually slowing, mainly due to the moon... which is to blame for a lot of things.

It's possible to derive energy from the Earth's rotation. To do this you get a massive flywheel or two and put them in a gimbal-type arrangement. The flywheels will spin away, appearing to move around in their gimbal with a 24hr-ish period. Now, you could use this motion to power a current- day-length clock. Interestingly, the clock itself will help in the slowing of the Earth.
-- bs0u0155, Jan 17 2014

Buchana-Foucoult-Powerball generator Buchanan-Foucault-Powerball_20generator
[MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 17 2014]

sorry ol'chap, but Egocentric_20Clock
[FlyingToaster, Jan 17 2014]

// Interestingly, the clock itself will help in the slowing of the Earth.//

Uh, I don't think so. You'll accelerate the earth as much in spinning up the flywheels as you'll slow it down by their action.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 17 2014


er... sure? I was thinking that spinning them up would create a big thing with lots of lovely momentum, the Earth rotation will then cause the flywheel's axis to change relative to it's original position because of the whole precession thing.
-- bs0u0155, Jan 17 2014


If you spin them up in space using circumferential rockets they shouldn't transfer momentum to the Earth?
-- pocmloc, Jan 17 2014


If you want to extract energy from the rotation of the earth, you need an external "stator". The moon or sun can be used for this purpose, hence tides.

The only other known way to achieve this is by using the Buchanan-Foucoult-Powerball generator <link> but the physics of this are undercertain.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 17 2014


One of my favourite (self) posts <link>
-- FlyingToaster, Jan 17 2014


//The Earth spins, in doing this it selectively exposes it's surface to the sun.

Y'know, I've been in club like that...is this the first recorded occurrence of geo-porn..
-- not_morrison_rm, Jan 18 2014



random, halfbakery