Nadine Murray, age 10, of Fredericton, N.B., Canada for her question:

FAST DOES THE EARTH ROTATE?

Strange to say, the earth rotates at different speeds in different places. For example, the bulging equator rotates faster than 1,000 miles an hour  while poles are at a complete standstill. This is because the earth is a big ball and the whole thing spins around the axis in one piece. The bulging equator must spin fastest to keep up with the rest of the world.

The equator is latitude O. The distance between it and the poles is divided into smaller and still smaller circles of latitude.    

As the earth spins around, the smaller circles have shorter distances to travel during each 24 hour rotation, so they rotate more slowly, each at its own speed.