The Earth is Flat

[pgp_protector]

Elevation map showing neither Flat or Level 1 Mile Section.

 

[pgp_protector]

Flat - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Full Definition of FLAT

1 a : lying at full length or spread out upon the ground : prostrate
b : utterly ruined or destroyed
c : resting with a surface against something
2 a : having a continuous horizontal surface
b : being or characterized by a horizontal line or tracing without peaks or depressions <a flat EEG>
3 : having a relatively smooth or even surface
4 : arranged or laid out so as to be level or even
5 a : having the major surfaces essentially parallel and distinctly greater than the minor surfaces <a flat piece of wood>
b of a shoe heel : very low and broad
6 a : clearly unmistakable <a flat denial>
b (1) : not varying : fixed <a flat rate> (2) : having no fraction either lacking or in excess : exact <in a flat 10 seconds> (3) of a frequency response : not varying significantly throughout its range
7 a : lacking in animation, zest, or vigor : dull
b : lacking flavor : tasteless
c : lacking effervescence or sparkle <flat ginger ale>
d : commercially inactive; also : characterized by no significant rise or decline from one period to another <sales were flat>
e of a tire : lacking air : deflated
f chiefly British of a battery : dead 3c, discharged
8 a (1) of a tone : lowered a half step in pitch (2) : lower than the proper pitch
b of the vowel a : pronounced as in bad or bat
9 a : having a low trajectory
b of a tennis stroke : made so as to give little or no spin to the ball
10 : not having an inflectional ending <flat adverbs>
11 of a sail : taut
12 a : uniform in hue or shade
b : having little or no illusion of depth
c of a photograph or negative : lacking contrast
d of lighting conditions : lacking shadows or contours
e : free from gloss <a flat paint>
f : two-dimensional 3 <flat characters>
13 : of, relating to, or used in competition on the flat <a flat horse>
14 of a universe : having a mass such that expansion halts only after infinite time and collapse never occurs

Or are you using some hens forth unknown personal definition of flat?

 

[AirPo]

Sure, at 8 inches per mile, the ship "sinks" below the horizon.
Supposing you are standing at waters edge, this begins
about 3 miles out "they say."

My point is that if you give a the smartest person you know a piece of land one mile long with a bulge of 8 inches in the middle, they will tell you it is flat....all day long.

The earth is not a piece of land 1 mile long.

 

[florida2]

Sure, at 8 inches per mile, the ship "sinks" below the horizon.
Supposing you are standing at waters edge, this begins
about 3 miles out "they say."

My point is that if you give a the smartest person you know a piece of land one mile long with a bulge of 8 inches in the middle, they will tell you it is flat....all day long.

So?

Still don't see what this is supposed to prove.

 

[Paul of Eugene OR]

Flat - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Full Definition of FLAT

1 a : lying at full length or spread out upon the ground : prostrate
b : utterly ruined or destroyed
c : resting with a surface against something
2 a : having a continuous horizontal surface
b : being or characterized by a horizontal line or tracing without peaks or depressions <a flat EEG>
3 : having a relatively smooth or even surface
4 : arranged or laid out so as to be level or even
5 a : having the major surfaces essentially parallel and distinctly greater than the minor surfaces <a flat piece of wood>
b of a shoe heel : very low and broad
6 a : clearly unmistakable <a flat denial>
b (1) : not varying : fixed <a flat rate> (2) : having no fraction either lacking or in excess : exact <in a flat 10 seconds> (3) of a frequency response : not varying significantly throughout its range
7 a : lacking in animation, zest, or vigor : dull
b : lacking flavor : tasteless
c : lacking effervescence or sparkle <flat ginger ale>
d : commercially inactive; also : characterized by no significant rise or decline from one period to another <sales were flat>
e of a tire : lacking air : deflated
f chiefly British of a battery : dead 3c, discharged
8 a (1) of a tone : lowered a half step in pitch (2) : lower than the proper pitch
b of the vowel a : pronounced as in bad or bat
9 a : having a low trajectory
b of a tennis stroke : made so as to give little or no spin to the ball
10 : not having an inflectional ending <flat adverbs>
11 of a sail : taut
12 a : uniform in hue or shade
b : having little or no illusion of depth
c of a photograph or negative : lacking contrast
d of lighting conditions : lacking shadows or contours
e : free from gloss <a flat paint>
f : two-dimensional 3 <flat characters>
13 : of, relating to, or used in competition on the flat <a flat horse>
14 of a universe : having a mass such that expansion halts only after infinite time and collapse never occurs

Or are you using some hens forth unknown personal definition of flat?

LOL yup, the earth is flat, and not very nourishing, certainly much flatter in taste than a good sharp cheddar cheese. But on the other hand, since I never hear any tones from it, I can't say that its either flat, sharp, or right in tune.

 

[keith99]

Nope.
You've confused "obviously" with the correct "seemingly."
.0125 is the correct % of change over distance.
1/10th of 1%
That is approximately 8 inches of curve per mile.
Only a few human beings in the world would not call that flat.
Give any person a straight edge, of any length with that much curve
and ask them if it is flat.

And the ratios are the same for any sphere. Do the same thing with a baseball using microns as the measure and it is 'flat'.

The lesson is the Earth is a lot bigger than a person.

 

[ChetSinger]

Heh, cute thread.

The Hebrew word "erets", which is often translated as "earth", wasn't our globe but whatever dry land stuck up out of the water. And the "ends of the earth" were the coastlines, where the dry land actually ended.

When we substitute the word "land" for "earth" we get a closer idea of what the original meaning was.

 

[SkyWriting]

The bigger a spherical object gets, the flatter it will appear to be at any given location. However, that will not make it any flatter in reality.

In the only reality that matters...practicality.
The shape of the earth effects practically no one.

You may as well get hung up on whether space is curved or not
for all the difference it will make in your day.

 

[SkyWriting]

It's neither Flat or Level, I can give you more Data points if you wish.

I already gave you the dish......walk one mile in a straight line
then down one 8 inch step....there is your "curve" for the earth.

You could pour out a cup of water and it would not run away from the step.
You could set down marble, and it would not roll back.

 

[SkyWriting]

And the ratios are the same for any sphere. Do the same thing with a baseball using microns as the measure and it is 'flat'. The lesson is the Earth is a lot bigger than a person.

Everyone already knew that. Even in pre-history.
The lesson is that the shape of the earth is not relevant.
It's interesting, but almost relevant to nobody.

 

[SkyWriting]

Flat - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Full Definition of FLAT

1 a : lying at full length or spread out upon the ground : prostrate
2 a : having a continuous horizontal surface
4 : arranged or laid out so as to be level or even
5 a : having the major surfaces essentially parallel and distinctly greater than the minor surfaces <a flat piece of wood>
b of a shoe heel : very low and broad
9 a : having a low trajectory
e : free from gloss <a flat paint>


Or are you using some hens forth unknown personal definition of flat?

I accept these 7 separate definitions as applicable. Nice work.

 

[SkyWriting]

The earth is not a piece of land 1 mile long.

A person can normally see 3 miles.
So that would be 6 total.
That would make a flat level sidewalk on the earth
6 miles long with thee 8-inch steps on each end
of compensate for the curve of the earth.

Most people would not be able to measure that amount of curve.

 

[Cute Tink]

In the only reality that matters...practicality.
The shape of the earth effects practically no one.

You may as well get hung up on whether space is curved or not
for all the difference it will make in your day.

Suppose for the moment that the Earth is literally flat. What would that mean for the laws of physics, gravity, rotation of the planet, etc.

The effect may be ignored, but it exists regardless.

 

[SkyWriting]

Suppose for the moment that the Earth is literally flat. What would that mean for the laws of physics, gravity, rotation of the planet, etc. The effect may be ignored, but it exists regardless.

A very good line of thought! An insightful question.

The "ends of the earth" would seem to be nearly vertical planes.

But going over the edge would be much more pleasant than
the old sea dogs feared.

What Would Happen If The Earth Were Flat? | IFLScience

 

[SkyWriting]

And the ratios are the same for any sphere. Do the same thing with a baseball using microns as the measure and it is 'flat'.

I can't get my head around the idea that the ratio is the same.
But I trust your head.

 

[Cute Tink]

So it's safe to say that the shape of the Earth does, in fact, impact everyone

 

[AirPo]

A person can normally see 3 miles.
So that would be 6 total.
That would make a flat level sidewalk on the earth
6 miles long with thee 8-inch steps on each end
of compensate for the curve of the earth.

Most people would not be able to measure that amount of curve.

That doesn't mean it's flat.

 

[SkyWriting]

That doesn't mean it's flat.

For most people, it is as flat as can be measured, on average.
No matter how far people travel, they remain perpendicular
to the ground, on average.

Everyone experiences a flat surface. To believe otherwise
is simply an educational oddity.

The fact is that matter is mostly space. Actually it's all space and
energy particles.

Nobody gets annoyed that we insist that matter is "solid" even though
it is nearly 100% space plus a scattering of energy particles. We
"experience" solid matter, even though it doesn't exist.

 

[Doveaman]

You don't need a perspective from that distance. The next time you're in a plane at 35,000 feet or so, on a clear day, look out the window at the horizon. It's clearly curved. At an obviously greater arc than a 0.01% variation from the horizontal would produce. And no matter where over the earth you are, or whether you're flying north-south, or east-west, the horizon is curved the same way at the same altitude. You can see the proof directly with your own eyes.

It's all about perspective then.

In the air we have proof it's curved. On the earth we have proof it's flat. Most of my life is spent on earth where it's flat.

 

[Doveaman]

Another thing: Ever watch a cruise ship sailing away? If you're on the dock with binocs, you don't see the entire ship get smaller and smaller. You first lose sight of the hull, and then the superstructure, and finally the stack. That would only happen if it's curving away from you.

Or if the ship just past over a higher elevation of water in the distance, like a car passing over a hill.