Is the Earth really flat

Discussion in 'Science' started by ryobi, Dec 5, 2019.

  1. ryobi

    ryobi Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2013
    Messages:
    3,247
    Likes Received:
    373
    Trophy Points:
    83
    Gender:
    Male
    I know how we can finally resolve the debate whether the Earth is flat or spherical.

    We all know from high-school geometry that the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its radius on a flat piece of paper is exactly two times Pi right???

    Let’s say we draw a circle on the surface of the earth and measure the circumference and radius.

    If the earth is flat the ratio of the circumference to the radius will be exactly 2 x Pi.

    However, if the earth is spherical the ratio of the circumference to the radius will not be 2 x Pi.

    That’s because the curved nature of the sphere’s surface will cause the radial lines of the circle to converge toward each other resulting in a decrease in the circles circumference.
     
  2. mamooth

    mamooth Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2012
    Messages:
    6,419
    Likes Received:
    2,184
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Since the earth is so big, local terrain appears flat. The circle would have to be ten kilometers across and on perfectly flat terrain for the effect of the curved earth to be noticeable.

    There are easier ways. For example, you can fly high in an airplane and visually look at a curved ocean horizon. You can buy a gyroscope and see the 15 degree per hour rotational drift. You can put a stick in the ground at two different latitudes and see the differing shadow lengths. You can watch ships vanishing below the horizon. You can watch the sun and moon vanishing below the horizon. You can notice how stars spin about the north star in the northern hemisphere, and around the celestial south pole in the southern hemisphere, something not possible in any flat earth model. You can fly across the southern hemisphere and see that distances match the globe model, not the flat earth model. And so on.
     
    Bowerbird, clennan and ryobi like this.
  3. fmw

    fmw Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2009
    Messages:
    37,758
    Likes Received:
    14,563
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Why do you think this is a subject of debate?
     
    Bowerbird likes this.
  4. One Mind

    One Mind Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2014
    Messages:
    20,296
    Likes Received:
    7,744
    Trophy Points:
    113

    Flat earth folks aint buying it.

    They claim a ship doesn't vanish from curvature. You can see it with a telescope .

    This is an example of a real tin foil hat conspiracy theory. Because what they believe is not just unlikely but impossible .

    But real conspiracies exist yet are called conspiracy theories even when it can be likely and possible.

    Power corrupts and corruption can and have created conspiracies

    Yet you have people like the flat earthers dont believe conspiracies exist! They dont read our history as humans .
     
    Bowerbird likes this.
  5. yguy

    yguy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2010
    Messages:
    18,423
    Likes Received:
    886
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Yes it will.
    Where you're getting any of this I have no idea, but the radii of a sphere converge at its center, which is also the center of every great circle on the sphere, and they don't result in a decrease in anything.
     
  6. WillReadmore

    WillReadmore Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2013
    Messages:
    59,473
    Likes Received:
    16,351
    Trophy Points:
    113
    What's amazing to me is that those in the ME figured out the circumference of Earth a couple hundred years BC.

    Yet, there are still people in America who think the Earth is flat??

    What happened to these people?

    How did they get left behind not by a few years or a few generations, but by a few centuries?
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2019
    Bowerbird and Derideo_Te like this.
  7. tkolter

    tkolter Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2012
    Messages:
    7,134
    Likes Received:
    598
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I crossed the country I didn't notice a curve and if its a sphere all the water would fall off and people save at the very top..
     
  8. jay runner

    jay runner Banned

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2017
    Messages:
    16,319
    Likes Received:
    10,027
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I noticed that all the water flows downhill into the sea except for a few isolated lakes that keep it.

    I noticed that the legs are really worked hard around granite, not so much around limestone.

    I noticed the earth has a curvature on blue water.
     
  9. tkolter

    tkolter Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2012
    Messages:
    7,134
    Likes Received:
    598
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I was joking I flew I can see the curve of the Earth.
     
    jay runner likes this.
  10. One Mind

    One Mind Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2014
    Messages:
    20,296
    Likes Received:
    7,744
    Trophy Points:
    113
    They are so open minded that their brains rolled out like a marble. I guess that is where that old .saw orinated. "He lost his marbles."
    So if around particular ideogues watch your step ! For I once skated on several marbles that rolled out his ears and busted my old arse. So be careful out there!
     
  11. One Mind

    One Mind Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2014
    Messages:
    20,296
    Likes Received:
    7,744
    Trophy Points:
    113
    So was it uphill or down hill given you walked a curve since globes are never flat?haha
     
    FatBack likes this.
  12. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2017
    Messages:
    27,700
    Likes Received:
    21,100
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    The flat earth theory, as I understand it, is that the earth is actually mound-shaped, with the north pole at the center and 'highest' point of the 'mound,' and Antarctica surrounding all other continents.

    If a plane were to be documented to fly from one edge of antarctica over the south pole in a straight line to the opposite edge, it would disprove flat earth.
     
  13. One Mind

    One Mind Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2014
    Messages:
    20,296
    Likes Received:
    7,744
    Trophy Points:
    113
    They say you viewed an illusion for if the earth was curved you would have to be higher than 40 thousand feet to see it.e


    Also the shape of the windows curved that creates the illusion of the curve. Same with cameras for all pics taken from really high used that wide angle lens.

    And the space station is a hoax. And we didnt go to the moon.

    This conspiracy is one of the oldest and wide spread All scientists are in on the hoax. Not sure how this was pulled off but there ya go.
     
  14. Robert E Allen

    Robert E Allen Banned

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2018
    Messages:
    12,041
    Likes Received:
    5,750
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male

    Nope i see mountains with my own eyes and even climed a few.. definitely not flat.
     
  15. JCS

    JCS Well-Known Member Donor

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2019
    Messages:
    1,933
    Likes Received:
    819
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    The sun, the planets, and all moons observed are ROUND.

    Conclusion: Earth is FLAT! :nerd:
     
  16. Robert E Allen

    Robert E Allen Banned

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2018
    Messages:
    12,041
    Likes Received:
    5,750
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male

    Maybe we are the exception??? :)
     
  17. HereWeGoAgain

    HereWeGoAgain Banned

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2016
    Messages:
    27,942
    Likes Received:
    19,979
    Trophy Points:
    113
    No way. They are just giant flat plates. Since we are the center of the universe, they are all facing us.
     
  18. Robert E Allen

    Robert E Allen Banned

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2018
    Messages:
    12,041
    Likes Received:
    5,750
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male

    You've got that wrong, they aren't facing us. They are facing ME!!!!



    MERRY CHRISTMAS, :)
     
    FatBack likes this.
  19. OldManOnFire

    OldManOnFire Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2008
    Messages:
    19,980
    Likes Received:
    1,177
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Or flat-Earth believers can simply walk, drive or cruise to the edge to see for themselves...if anyone does make this trip please let us know what is on the back side?
     
    FatBack likes this.
  20. Etbauer

    Etbauer Banned

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2011
    Messages:
    5,401
    Likes Received:
    1,058
    Trophy Points:
    113
    The flat earth theory suffers the same problem as many anti-science theories. Like man made climate change denial theories, they all disagree with each other. There is no one flat-earth theory, there is only 'they are lying to you' theory, just like climate change denial.
     
  21. Derideo_Te

    Derideo_Te Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2015
    Messages:
    50,653
    Likes Received:
    41,718
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Which begs the question as to why NO ONE has ever found the EDGE of the Earth since it is all around us in every direction?

    Imagine how famous an explorer would be if they had found the edge of the earth?

    Why have no flat earthers ever tried to become that famous person themselves?
     
  22. Blaster3

    Blaster3 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2018
    Messages:
    6,008
    Likes Received:
    5,302
    Trophy Points:
    113
    it's as flat as the motherboard it was created on...

    there is no earth, we're all living in virtual reality...

    the flatearthers are the first to be woke to that concept, baby steps, they'll figure it out someday...
     
    pitbull likes this.
  23. pitbull

    pitbull Banned Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2018
    Messages:
    6,149
    Likes Received:
    2,857
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Blaster3 likes this.
  24. OldManOnFire

    OldManOnFire Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2008
    Messages:
    19,980
    Likes Received:
    1,177
    Trophy Points:
    113
    It would also require a dam along all water borders to hold the ocean back...or if no dams then ocean water just pours out to la-la-land. In 2020 it seems pretty silly to be talking about a flat-earth...
     
    Quasar44 likes this.
  25. Thought Criminal

    Thought Criminal Well-Known Member Donor

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2017
    Messages:
    18,135
    Likes Received:
    13,224
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I'm pretty sure that your proposed experiment wouldn't convince anybody. I just don't think that any of the flat earthers believe that the earth is flat. I think that they're just having fun.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2020
    ryobi and Quasar44 like this.

Share This Page