Final answer:
The speed of a point on Earth's surface due to its rotation is highest at the equator, where the distance to cover in one rotation is greatest. Points near the poles travel a shorter distance, thus move at a slower speed. This difference is due to the variation in the radius of Earth's rotation at different latitudes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The speed at which a point on Earth travels due to its rotation is dependent on its location relative to the equator. Points on the equator have the longest distance to travel to complete one rotation, meaning they move at the highest linear speed. Conversely, points near the poles travel a much shorter distance during one rotation and thus move at slower linear speeds. This is because the Earth's rotation creates a circumstance where all points on the surface share the same angular velocity but have different linear velocities depending on their latitude. The linear velocity is calculated by multiplying the angular velocity by the radius of the rotation at a given latitude, which is maximum at the equator and approaches zero at the poles.
At the poles, because the radius of rotation is almost zero, the linear speed is also almost zero. As one moves towards the equator, the radius of rotation increases, leading to an increase in linear speed for points on the Earth's surface. Therefore, points near the equator have a higher linear speed due to the larger radius of their circular path.