Effect of Melting Polar Ice Caps – Rankers Physics
Topic: Rotational Motion
Subtopic: Angular Momentum and Conservation of Angular Momentum

Effect of Melting Polar Ice Caps

If the ice on the polar caps of the Earth melts, the duration of day will
Decrease
Remains the same
Increase
May increase or decrease

Solution:

As polar ice melts and water flows towards the equator, mass is distributed further from the rotational axis, increasing the moment of inertia \(I\). Due to conservation of angular momentum, the angular velocity \(\omega\) decreases, which increases the duration of the day.

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