The Earth is Flat, and you will prove it.

[SkyWriting]

You are tasked with building a runway for the Space X program that will
be used for the next space vehicle. The runway must be 5 miles long
and 500 ft wide. For safety reasons the runway must be smooth and level
so specifications call for it to be "Flat & Level" at any point measured.

To celebrate the "grand opening" you invite 1000 people from around the
world the evening before it's first use. They spread out and for fun you've
given them marbles and a level to test every aspect of the runway.

All at once they spill the marbles and confirm that the slope is perfect and
the marbles spread out evenly for everyone. "Flat and Level!" they all confirm.

You've also invited 10 scientists. They pull out their pocket laser pointers
lay them on the pavement and spend the entire celebration telling people
what idiots they all are for calling the runway flat. They show everyone
how the runway is "crowned" in both directions. They are not satisfied
until every person verbally repeats
"The runway is not flat.
The runway is not flat."

 

[Goonie]

 

[The Cadet]

All at once they spill the marbles and confirm that the slope is perfect and
the marbles spread out evenly for everyone. "Flat and Level!" they all confirm.

You've also invited 10 scientists. They pull out their pocket laser pointers
lay them on the pavement and spend the entire celebration telling people
what idiots they all are for calling the runway flat. They show everyone
how the runway is "crowned" in both directions.

Okay. The problem here is that light and marbles react differently to gravitational forces. Light reacts very weakly to gravity and has its own speed, while the only thing moving the marbles is gravity. So if the pavement curved all the way around the earth, and you lay a marble on each side of the earth, neither will roll, because gravity is pulling them directly orthogonal to the pavement. However, the laser will easily escape the earth's gravity and move (more or less) straight, as its movement is not based on the relative flatness of the slope to the direction of gravity, but on the absolute flatness of the slope relative to a straight line through space.

Indeed, if the earth were flat, we'd expect both the laser and the marbles to show the same slope, as the direction of gravity would be unchanged from location to location. Your argument is not very good.

 

[durangodawood]

If they wanted a flat runway, they should have built it vertically.

 

[-57]

You are tasked with building a runway for the Space X program that will
be used for the next space vehicle. The runway must be 5 miles long
and 500 ft wide. For safety reasons the runway must be smooth and level
so specifications call for it to be "Flat & Level" at any point measured.

To celebrate the "grand opening" you invite 1000 people from around the
world the evening before it's first use. They spread out and for fun you've
given them marbles and a level to test every aspect of the runway.

All at once they spill the marbles and confirm that the slope is perfect and
the marbles spread out evenly for everyone. "Flat and Level!" they all confirm.

You've also invited 10 scientists. They pull out their pocket laser pointers
lay them on the pavement and spend the entire celebration telling people
what idiots they all are for calling the runway flat. They show everyone
how the runway is "crowned" in both directions. They are not satisfied
until every person verbally repeats
"The runway is not flat.
The runway is not flat."

Knowing the earth has a curve to it...over the 5 miles...I would gradually build up the level under my runway as to eliminate the curve and acheive true flatness rather than preceived flatness.

 

[SkyWriting]

Knowing the earth has a curve to it...over the 5 miles...I would gradually build up the level under my runway as to eliminate the curve and acheive true flatness rather than preceived flatness.

You could do that, causing water to pool in the middle.

Indeed, if the earth were flat, we'd expect both the laser and the marbles to show the same slope, as the direction of gravity would be unchanged from location to location. Your argument is not very good.

I'm not suggesting that the earth is flat.
I'm illustrating that scientists are the idiots
for insisting that everyone describe the
earth by it's almost imperceptible curve.

The marbles don't roll one way or the other.
We call that flat.
By the way, I mentioned safety......rain on the runway
is the major issue here. Not laser pointer correctness.

 

[SkyWriting]

Knowing the earth has a curve to it...over the 5 miles...I would gradually build up the level under my runway as to eliminate the curve and achieve true flatness rather than perceived flatness.

And how well would that "fly" with your employer when the rain puddles in the middle?
Your career building runways is over and your company is dissolved.

 

[-57]

You could do that, causing water to pool in the middle.


I'm not suggesting that the earth is flat.
I'm illustrating that scientists are the idiots
for insisting that everyone describe the
earth by it's almost imperceptible curve.

The marbles don't roll one way or the other.
We call that flat.
By the way, I mentioned safety......rain on the runway
is the major issue here. Not laser pointer correctness.

Then I'd wait for tomorrow. When the rain stopped and the runway dried.

 

[JacksBratt]

You could do that, causing water to pool in the middle.


I'm not suggesting that the earth is flat.
I'm illustrating that scientists are the idiots
for insisting that everyone describe the
earth by it's almost imperceptible curve.

The marbles don't roll one way or the other.
We call that flat.
By the way, I mentioned safety......rain on the runway
is the major issue here. Not laser pointer correctness.

If they crown the runway from side to side, so that it is higher in the middle than at the sides, the rain would not be a problem and the flat earthers and globe believers would all have a nice dry runway. Then the space craft can fly through to space, or crash into the firmament, depending on your personal belief.

 

[-57]

And how well would that "fly" with your employer when the rain puddles in the middle?
Your career building runways is over and your company is dissolved.

You forget the task presented in the OP..."You are tasked with building a runway for the Space X program that will
be used for the next space vehicle. The runway must be 5 miles long
and 500 ft wide. For safety reasons the runway must be smooth and level
so specifications call for it to be "Flat & Level" at any point measured.".

By building it they way they wanted....I built what they asked for.

Just for the record....building a flat runway on the 5 mile curve of the earth...would still puddle as you claimed.

 

[SkyWriting]

If they wanted a flat runway, they should have built it vertically.

Again, you want to consult with your lawyers before you begin construction.
Most construction contracts require that you build according to the "end use"
even if the correct details are not spelled out in the contract. Workmen are
required to build things properly and safe for the end user. If not, then
the contractor pays for any adjustments to "make it right."

 

[SkyWriting]

You forget the task presented in the OP..."You are tasked with building a runway for the Space X program that will
be used for the next space vehicle. The runway must be 5 miles long
and 500 ft wide. For safety reasons the runway must be smooth and level
so specifications call for it to be "Flat & Level" at any point measured.".
By building it they way they wanted....I built what they asked for.
Just for the record....building a flat runway on the 5 mile curve of the earth...would still puddle as you claimed.

You loose both ways. There are grooves cut for rainwater so puddling is an issue that true flatness would make worse.
And you are required to build for safety, no matter any deficiencies in the contract.
Contractors are required to make things "right" no matter what.

 

[durangodawood]

Again, you want to consult with your lawyers before you begin construction.
Most construction contracts require that you build according to the "end use"
even if the correct details are not spelled out in the contract. Workmen are
required to build things properly and safe for the end user. If not, then
the contractor pays for any adjustments to "make it right."

Did the construction drawings depict something unsafe?

 

[-57]

You loose both ways. There are grooves cut for rainwater so puddling is an issue that true flatness would make worse.
And you are required to build for safety, no matter any deficiencies in the contract.
Contractors are required to make things "right" no matter what.

My runway used this material...

 

[The Cadet]

The marbles don't roll one way or the other.
We call that flat.

Oooookay...? This does nothing to negate the curve of the earth. Look, let me be frank. Playing semantic games to try to make the world out to be flat is just going to confuse people, who will then think you're in the camp of people who really believe the earth to be a flat disc instead of an oblate spheroid. That's not something you want people to believe about you - it's up there with believing that DNA doesn't actually exist - you just look laughable.

The runway is flat for the purposes of traveling over it when it, over its entirety, runs orthogonal to the direction of gravity. That's the important bit for the safety of a craft taking off. And yes, in absolute terms, that means it's curved. But so what? That doesn't make the earth flat. :/

or crash into the firmament, depending on your personal belief

Please don't encourage this nonsense

 

[SkyWriting]

Oooookay...? This does nothing to negate the curve of the earth. Look, let me be frank. Playing semantic games to try to make the world out to be flat is just going to confuse people, who will then think you're in the camp of people who really believe the earth to be a flat disc instead of an oblate spheroid. That's not something you want people to believe about you - it's up there with believing that DNA doesn't actually exist - you just look laughable. The runway is flat for the purposes of traveling over it when it, over its entirety, runs orthogonal to the direction of gravity. That's the important bit for the safety of a craft taking off. And yes, in absolute terms, that means it's curved. But so what? That doesn't make the earth flat.

I'll add in an anomaly. There is a ancient plume of almost solid metal
in the ground to one side of the runway. You've constructed the runway
so that it is "flat and level" resulting in a visibly measurable twist in the
pavement to accommodate the change in gravity.

All the 1000 visitors have confirmed that the 20 inch thick concrete is
"flat and level" and ready for landing on.

The 10 scientists are running around, waving their arms, cursing all
these "idiots" because they refuse to acknowledge that the pavement
is crowned and twisted to accommodate gravity.

You are one of those scientists. Yes there is a curve, but it's
practically irrelevant to normal living. What's important to humans
is the effect of gravity.

 

[-57]

What is the point of this thread?

 

[durangodawood]

....The 10 scientists are running around, waving their arms, cursing all these "idiots" because they refuse to acknowledge that the pavement
is crowned and twisted to accommodate gravity.....

Why would the scientists say the runway doesnt follow the curve of the earth when it in fact does, and when they can measure it as such?

 

[SkyWriting]

My runway used this material...

Fine, but the wheels of the landing craft need to "feel" a surface that is perfectly
perpendicular to gravity. At 300 miles per hour you need to not have hills and dales.

 

[SkyWriting]

Why would the scientists say the runway doesnt follow the curve of the earth when it in fact does, and when they can measure it as such?

That's not the problem. The problem is that the scientists refuse to allow
the visitors to use the terms "flat and level" and call them "idiots" if they do.