The Earth Is Round!

[sensei8]

Just for fun, grins, and giggles...

I've seen, you've seen, and we've seen proof that our Earth is round. Pictures from space confirm that. I understand what a circle looks like! This = O That's a circle, that's a genuine representative of what Earth looks like...Round/Circle!

I'm in no way a math genius. I'm by and far away from that, but, a circle is still a circle and something round is still round.

That brings me to my question...

If the Earth is round, how can something be level?

Yes, it's true, since I've retired from the Hombu, I've really got just to much time on my hand these days.

Still my question stands/remains.

[sensei8]

Thanks for letting me vent my boredom....sheech...I need a hobby or something.

[JohnASE]

Well, to me, level means perpendicular to the force of gravity, not parallel to the ground. If you're on the side of a hill, level doesn't mean level with respect to the hill. It doesn't really matter what shape the ground is.

What I'm wondering is, if you're standing on the North Pole, which way is north? Straight up? Is every direction you can take a step, south? Is north and south only relative to the earth's surface? If so, I guess there is no north from the North Pole.

[DWx]

I like John's answer

Thing with the Earth is that because its so huge the curvature isn't noticed that much by little things like us

[Rateh]

Well if you took a pole that was several miles long, and you took a piece of earth and rounded it so that it was all exactly the same distance from the center. Then you layed that pole out along the that part of the earth....are you still following me?

Well, you would notice that MOST of the pole would still be touching the earth, however at the ends the pole would start to separate from the earth. That is because the earth is so HUGE that even a miles long pole is almost negligible in comparison. So only the ends of the pole are noticeably further from the center of the earth than the middle of the pole is.

But we don't usually try and level something that is several miles in length, we usually attempt to level things that are several feet, like a desk. And a few feet verses the entire circumference of the earth is so very very minuscule. (The earth being 131, 479, 713.54 feet at the equator, so if your desk was 4 feet long, that's a difference of 3.04e-08 ) A number so very very very tiny, that it doesn't make one lick of difference. So really, if you want to get reaaaaaaaaaaaaally technical about it, no, your desk isn't level. Divide 3.04e-08 by 2 (to get the difference between how close the center of your desk is, to how close the edge of your desk is to the earth. Or in other words, we are dividing your desk in half to find out the difference between its edge and its center in relation to the earth), and you get 1.52e-08. So your desk is not level by 1.52e-08. Personally, I think its just easier to call it level.

[sensei8]

Great answers so far...thanks!

If I use a level to see if something is level or not, and the earth is round, then shouldn't the bubble be to one side or the other.

I don't know how to use a level on a round object, aka, Earth.

Ok...I've finally went bonkers.

[sensei8]

Well if you took a pole that was several miles long, and you took a piece of earth and rounded it so that it was all exactly the same distance from the center. Then you layed that pole out along the that part of the earth....are you still following me?

Well, you would notice that MOST of the pole would still be touching the earth, however at the ends the pole would start to separate from the earth. That is because the earth is so HUGE that even a miles long pole is almost negligible in comparison. So only the ends of the pole are noticeably further from the center of the earth than the middle of the pole is.

But we don't usually try and level something that is several miles in length, we usually attempt to level things that are several feet, like a desk. And a few feet verses the entire circumference of the earth is so very very minuscule. (The earth being 131, 479, 713.54 feet at the equator, so if your desk was 4 feet long, that's a difference of 3.04e-08 ) A number so very very very tiny, that it doesn't make one lick of difference. So really, if you want to get reaaaaaaaaaaaaally technical about it, no, your desk isn't level. Divide 3.04e-08 by 2 (to get the difference between how close the center of your desk is, to how close the edge of your desk is to the earth. Or in other words, we are dividing your desk in half to find out the difference between its edge and its center in relation to the earth), and you get 1.52e-08. So your desk is not level by 1.52e-08. Personally, I think its just easier to call it level.

Now, that's a great answer...I didn't understand it, but it's still a great answer, LOL!!

[KumitePanda]

whoah! new discovery *hehehehehe*