1、Click Here for Support with using Interactive PDFsDaily NewsDo some days seem to drag on while others seem to whizz by?Well it is also true that some days on Earth are faster or slower.In fact,29th June 2022 was the fastest day since records began.It broke the record by completing a full rotation by
2、 a whole 1.59 milliseconds before the full 24 hours!Just a month after we experienced the fastest day,we also had the second-fastest day!26th July 2022 was 1.5 milliseconds faster than the 86,400 seconds that make up 24 hours.Scientists use something called an atomic clock to measure the speed of th
3、e Earths rotation.This method of measuring has been used since the 1960s.In recent years,the Earth has been speeding up.In 2020,scientists noticed that the Earth had recorded the 28 shortest days since records began.This has surprised scientists who have thought that the planet has been slowing down
4、.They put this down to the Moon which creates tidalfriction.This is gradually slowing down both the Earth and the Moon.As the Earth has generally been moving slower,leap seconds have been introduced.This is where clocks were paused for one second to match back up to the Earths movement.The first lea
5、p second was in 1972.However,with the planet speeding up we may need to start using the opposite known as a negative leap second.This means the clocks will skip one second.Scientists do not all agree on why the Earth is speeding up.Some experts are saying that the melting of the ice caps could be ca
6、using the planet to speed up.Another reason suggets that the movement in the core of the planet could be making it faster.Whatever the reason,we could all be about to witness the worlds first-ever negative leap second.Photo:Earth.Glossaryaxis An imaginary line through the centre of the Earth which i
7、t revolves around.rotation To complete a circular motion.millisecondsA thousand times slower than one second.tidal frictionA force created by the Moon on tides which slows the Earth down.Science World News 12th August 2022Why is a day 24 hours?As well as travelling around the Sun(a year),the Earth i
8、s spinning on its axis.It takes the Earth roughly 24 hours(a day)to do a full spin.At any time,one half of the Earth is in sunlight and the other half is in darkness.Earths Shortest Day on Record visit Questions1.What do scientists use to measure the speed of the Earths rotation?2.Scientists underst
9、and why the Earth is speeding up.Find a piece of evidence that proves this statement wrong.3.Tick each of these statements to show whether they are true or false.TrueFalseA day on Earth is always exactly 24 hours.A year on Earth is roughly 24 hours.Half the Earth is always in sunlight.The Earth has always been speeding up.4.Why were scientists shocked that the Earth was speeding up?5.In the phrase,the shortest day ever recorded,what is meant by the word recorded?6.Summarise the key information in the article in 15 words or fewer.Earths Shortest Day on Recordvisit
