New geographies . Fig. 112. — Figure of the earthcut in two, to show tliediameter—a line passingthrough the center of theearth. The distance around the earth, on the out-side, caUed the circumference, is about twenty-five thousand miles. This distance, as you see,is a little more than three times the circumference of any sphere is always alittle more than three times its diameter. Howcan you prove this with an orange ? 2. Daily Motion of the Earth It does not seem to us that the earthis moving, but the ground on which youstand is really moving faster ^j^g ^^^than any passenger tra
New geographies . Fig. 112. — Figure of the earthcut in two, to show tliediameter—a line passingthrough the center of theearth. The distance around the earth, on the out-side, caUed the circumference, is about twenty-five thousand miles. This distance, as you see,is a little more than three times the circumference of any sphere is always alittle more than three times its diameter. Howcan you prove this with an orange ? 2. Daily Motion of the Earth It does not seem to us that the earthis moving, but the ground on which youstand is really moving faster ^j^g ^^^than any passenger train motion ofthat you ever saw. The the earthwhole earth is whirling around like atop, at a tremendous rate. This motion iscalled its rotation. Since the earth turnscompletely around, or makes one com-plete rotation, every twenty-four hours,this motion is called its daily Fig. 113. —The light from the candle lights only half ofthe apple that the boy is holding, just as the sunlights only half of the earth. It is this daily rotation that causesday and night. A lamp can light onlyone half of a ball at a time, how rotation as you know (Fig. 113). causes day The sun is a kind of lamp ^°^ sfor the earth ball, for all the light of our GENERAL FACTS ABOUT THE EARTH 89 day comes from the sun. The sun, then,can light only one half of the great earthat a time. This being the case, if our globe stoodperfectly still, it would always be day onthe side facing the sun, and night on theother side. Since the earth rotates, the part thatis getting the light is always , while the sun is always settingfor some people, it is always rising forothers. When it is noon where you live,it is midnight at the point opposite you,on the other side of the earth. This is why there is a period of day-light, and a period of darkness, at theplace where you live. These two
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectgeography, bookyear19
