09.19.07 5:00 AM CDT
• Letters
• Chip Rowe
More on Raw Data:Several readers wrote to challenge the notion that the earth moves 89,180,153 miles during the 7 minutes and 54 seconds it takes to complete the average act of intercourse, as we reported in Raw Data in the October issue. As we mentioned, this figure takes into account not just the rotation of the earth but the movement of the solar system, the galaxy and the universe. It is based on calculations by astronomer John Brown, who has set up a site called Did the Earth Move for You that allows you to calculate how far the earth moved for you, based on where you live.
Of course, although this is fun, it’s not the most precise number. Phil Plait of the Bad Astronomy blog offers some caveats: “The velocities are not treated as vectors, so this is an upper limit to how far you moved; if, for example, the earth is spinning in the opposite direction of the motion of its travel around the Sun (that is, you were getting some afternoon delight) then the distance traveled is slightly less. Also, if you think about it, the biggest source or motion here is the expansion of the Universe. That’s the speed of light, and all the other velocities are small compared to that, so it dominates. Your latitude hardly matters at all. Some people will probably be offended buy this, but it’s just a fun way to get people to think about astronomy and science, so of course I stand behind it.”
Louis Claudio of Miami tell us that, while Raw Data is interesting, we should include citations. We don’t for reasons of space but are quick to provide citations by email for any item of interest.
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