If the earth is spinning at 1,000mph (approx) then why when we travel from east to west on a plane at say 500mph do we not go backwards and obviously why if we travel from west to eat are we not travelling at 1,500mph? Hopefully under the right title.
by 
Tomis
ANSWERS: 3
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Due to inertia. If you were stood on top of a train and threw a ball straight in the air, then it would land in your hands (ignoring the air resistance, which we can since the Earth rotates and air rotates with it). Basically, forces remain the same unless another force changes it. The plane continues to move with the Earth and doesn't slow down because there is no air resistance - the air moves with Earth. This is also why when you jump up in the air, you don't land several feet in another direction.
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This is due to our speeds being relative to that off the earth NOT relative to the space around the earth (which is what the earth is moving relative too).
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This is due to what Einstein talked about when he referred to frames of reference. We are all on the Earth. As such we are all moving WITH the Earth. We don't directly experience Earth's motion because we are moving with it. (This is why it took so long for people to realize that the Earth was not stationary.) When we move about the Earth, we gage our motion relative to its surface, not to the space surround it. So, the speed of a plane is measured with respect to the surface and (unless it is flying into an extremely strong head wind) it moves forward with respect to the surface. However, if seen for outside the Earth, the the plane may be moving forwards or backwards with respect to this outside observer while it is making its forward progress on the Earth because the Earth i moving faster than it is. By the way, this idea of different frames of reference is what led to Einstein's theories of relativity.
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