Which one of the following cities of the world would represent the greatest linear velocity of rotation of the Earth?
- A.Kampala, Uganda
- B.St. Petersburg, Russia
- C.Madrid, Spain
- D.Stockholm, Sweden
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Kampala, Uganda. Kampala lies almost on the equator, where a point on the Earth's surface moves the longest distance in each rotation and so has the greatest linear speed.
Every place on Earth completes one rotation in about 24 hours, so all places have the same angular velocity. Linear velocity, however, depends on the size of the circle a place travels round, which shrinks towards the poles. At the equator the speed is about 1,670 km per hour; at any latitude it is roughly that figure multiplied by the cosine of the latitude, so at 60° it is about half, and at the poles it is zero. Kampala is only about 0.3° north of the equator.
B is wrong because St. Petersburg is near 60° N, where the speed is only about half that at the equator.
C is wrong because Madrid is near 40° N, so its circle of rotation is much smaller than the equator's.
D is wrong because Stockholm is near 59° N, close to St. Petersburg's latitude, and moves far slower.
Exam tip: angular velocity is the same everywhere; linear velocity is greatest at the equator (about 1,670 km/h) and zero at the poles.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one of the following is applicable to collision-coalescence process of precipitation?
- A.Clouds which do not extend beyond the freezing level
- B.Clouds which extend beyond the freezing level
- C.All types of clouds
- D.Cirrocumulus cloud
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Collision-coalescence is the way rain forms in warm clouds, whose tops stay below the level where water freezes. In such clouds all droplets are liquid.
Read the full explanation →Identify the type of drainage pattern on the basis of the given characteristics :
1. It represents the most common pattern of streams and their tributaries
2. It occurs in areas of uniform rock type and regular slope
3. A map, or aerial photograph, shows a pattern like the veins on a leaf— smaller streams join the main stream at an acute angle
Select the correct answer.
- A.Dendritic
- B.Radial
- C.Trellis
- D.Centripetal
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A pattern that looks like the branches of a tree or the veins of a leaf, formed on uniform rock with a regular slope, is dendritic.
Read the full explanation →The Research Design and Standards Organization is the R&D wing of which one of the following organizations ?
- A.Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
- B.Indian Space Research Organization
- C.Indian Railways
- D.Defence Research and Development Organization
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The Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) is the sole research and development wing of the Ministry of Railways. RDSO is headquartered at Lucknow.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following Indian States has recorded negative growth population as per Census 2011?
- A.Manipur
- B.Mizoram
- C.Tripura
- D.Nagaland
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Nagaland was the only Indian state whose population fell between 2001 and 2011; its decadal growth rate in Census 2011 was about −0.6 per cent.
Read the full explanation →Piecing together the puzzle of geologic time to create and analyze historical maps of the Earth is known as
- A.paleoclimatology
- B.paleogeomorphology
- C.paleolithology
- D.paleogeography
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Paleogeography is the study of the Earth's geography in the geological past, and its main product is a set of maps showing where continents, oceans, mountains and shorelines lay at different times.
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