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The Earth spins once per day.
地球每天自转一周。
Which means that if you live at the Equator,
这意味着，如果你住在赤道附近，
the surface of the Earth with you on it, is moving around a thousand miles per hour to the East, relative to the centre of the Earth.
你所在的地球表面将以约每小时一千英里的速度向东移动，这里的方向是相对于地球中心来说的。
Even at 45 degree latitude, the Earth's surface is moving 700 miles per hour to the East.
即使在北纬45度，地球的表面也在以每小时700英里的高速往东转着。
So it kinda seems like it should be faster for airplanes to fly west.
因此，似乎往西飞的飞机会飞得更快。
I mean, their destination is literally spinning towards them.
我的意思是，他们的目的地正向着他们旋转而来。
At the same time however, they are spinning away from their destination.
然而，与此同时，它们正在远离目的地。
When we say the earth is going 1000 mph to the east,
当我们说地球以每小时1000英里的速度向东移动时，
that means that the ground, and airplanes on the ground, and even the air above the ground are all also moving 1000 miles per hour to the east.
这意味着地面，地面上的飞机，甚至地面上的空气都在以每小时1000英里的速度向东移动。
For an airplane to get anywhere, it has to start moving relative to the ground and through the air at something like 100 or so mph.
不管一架飞机要飞往哪里，它必须以每小时约100英里的速度相对于地面移动并穿过空气。
So when it flies east, it's actually moving 1000 plus 100 mph to the east,
所以当飞机向东飞行时，它实际上向东移动了1000加100英里每小时，
and when it flies west, it's actually moving 1000 minus 100 mph, to the east.
当它向西飞行时，它实际上是向东移动1000减100英里每小时。
Yes, to go west you go east, just slower than the Earth is going east.
是的，当你向西飞时你实际在向东，只是比地球向东旋转的速度慢。
Unless you're within ten or so miles of the poles, in which case a brisk westward walk will take you legitimately west.
除非你在距离两极10英里以内的地方，在这种情况下，快步向西走会让你真正地向西走。
That said, planes do often take different amounts of time to fly the same route in different directions,
也就是说，飞机在同一航线的不同方向上飞行时，通常所花费的时间不一样长，
because of winds in the upper atmosphere like the jetstream that they either have at their tail, or have to fly into.
因为大气层顶端的风就像高速气流，会令飞机在顺风或逆风状态下飞行。
The prevailing direction of these winds is largely caused by the Coriolis effect,
这些气流的方向是由科里奥利效应造成的
which is caused by the fact that different parts of the Earth are moving east at different speeds, which happens because the Earth is round and spinning.
这是由于地球是个在自转的球体，不同部分在以不同的速度东移动。
So, airplane travel times are influenced by the rotation of the Earth, just not in a straightforward way.
所以，飞机的飞行时间会受到地球自转的影响，只是并没有那么直接。
