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If the earth starts rotating east to west, which of the following shall be correct?
1. Places West of Greenwich will be behind the Greenwich Time.
2. Places located on the same longitude northwards will be ahead in time than those located southwards.
Which of the above is/are correct?
  • a)
    1 only
  • b)
    2 only
  • c)
    Both 1 and 2
  • d)
    None
Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
If the earth starts rotating east to west, which of the followingshall...
Justification: Statement 1: It is the case presently when earth rotates from
west to east. If the opposite happens, places west of Greenwich will be
ahead in time and places east will lag behind in time.
Statement 2: Time varies across a longitude, not latitude.
For e.g. when the Prime Meridian of Greenwich has the sun at the highest
point in the sky, all the places along this meridian will have mid-day or
noon, whether the place is southwards or northwards.
This is independent of the direction of rotation of the earth. So, 2 is
incorrect.
Q Source: Page 15: NCERT 6th Geography: The Earth Our Habitat
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Most Upvoted Answer
If the earth starts rotating east to west, which of the followingshall...
Explanation:

To understand why the correct answer is option D, let's analyze the two statements given in the question.

Statement 1: Places West of Greenwich will be behind the Greenwich Time.

When the Earth rotates from west to east (its current direction of rotation), the sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west. This creates the concept of time zones, where each zone is approximately 15 degrees of longitude wide. The Prime Meridian, which runs through Greenwich, London, is used as the reference point for calculating time zones.

If the Earth were to start rotating from east to west, the concept of time zones would still exist, but they would be reversed. The places west of Greenwich would then be ahead of Greenwich Time, not behind it. Therefore, statement 1 is incorrect.

Statement 2: Places located on the same longitude northwards will be ahead in time than those located southwards.

This statement is also incorrect. The rotation of the Earth does not affect the concept of time zones based on longitude. Time zones are determined by the 24-hour rotation of the Earth, not its direction of rotation. Therefore, places located on the same longitude, regardless of their direction (north or south), have the same time.

Conclusion:

Neither statement 1 nor statement 2 is correct. The Earth's rotation direction does not change the fundamental principles of time zones. Time zones are determined by the 24-hour rotation of the Earth and are not affected by its direction of rotation. Therefore, the correct answer is option D, none of the statements are correct.
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If the earth starts rotating east to west, which of the followingshall be correct?1. Places West of Greenwich will be behind the Greenwich Time.2. Places located on the same longitude northwards will be ahead intime than those located southwards.Which of the above is/are correct?a)1 onlyb)2 onlyc)Both 1 and 2d)NoneCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?
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