this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2025
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Explain Like I'm Five
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This is a good start to explain it. Many of the posts here are also neglecting that the air around the earth is also moving along with the earth, but often at a different speed. It is not fixed in space.
For example, if you've ever paddled a canoe across a flowing river, you'll either end up not across from the point you left from or you've steered the canoe as if you were intending to land upstream. This is because the water is pushing the canoe downstream.
Also, the comments (as if the time of this post) are all neglecting the point of reference.
An analogy on point of reference would be if you're on a train, sitting at a table facing the rear of the train and the train is moving in the forward direction at a constant speed on a plain, if you drop an orange on the floor of the train, will it immediately roll to the back of the train?
In airplanes there is often a big difference between land speed and air speed. That is (one of the reasons) why the return trip is not the same duration when you travel in the east-west (or west-east) direction. The airplane is pushing against the airaround it whereas a car is pushing against the ground (Earth).