Why doesn't railroad tracks and oil pipes and cellphone towers take into account spherical earth?

[morse86]

1) Why doesn't raid road tracks take into account earth's curvature? There are 500 mile railroad tracks that are perfectly straight. The curvature at that distance should be more than 10 miles.

2) Why doesn't big oil pipes take into the earth's curvature? There are 100s of miles of oil pipes. The curvature at that distance should be more than 10 miles.

3) And the most important question, how come I can walk a 300 mile dessert that is perfectly flat and cannot measure that 10 mile curvature??!?!?

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

I honestly cannot give an answer on this that wouldn't sound condescending or rude.
I mean... is this really a genuine question? You asked practically the same question regarding the flat earth and airplane pilots.

 

[joshua 1 9]

g

 

[morse86]

That is just the way gravity works. They use to think the pull was from the center of the earth. Now they look at gravity as being more of a push from the outside. The pipe is welded together so the weld will make up the slight difference as the pipe wraps it's way around the earth.

Nice lies. Very deceptive.

I can measure the curvature of a hill. So don't try to lie.


I cannot measure the curvature of a straight railroad track that is 100s of miles long. According to NASA, that railroad track should have a 10 mile curvature.

The oil pipes also do not take into account that curvature.

Don't try to say "gravity". It has nothing to do with it.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

Nice lies. Very deceptive.

I can measure the curvature of a hill. So don't try to lie.


I cannot measure the curvature of a straight railroad track that is 100s of miles long. According to NASA, that railroad track should have a 10 mile curvature.

The oil pipes also do not take into account that curvature.

Don't try to say "gravity". It has nothing to do with it.

Because there is no curvature to speak of when you are on the ground.
While there is obvious curvature of the Earth when seen from space (By numerous space agencies around the world, so don't go saying "IT'S A SATANIC LIE FROM NASA!"), it is not something we are capable of experience for ourselves, because we are on the object that is curved.

It's a bit like the question "Does the fish know it's wet in the ocean?". To the outsider, yes, the ocean is wet, but to the fish, who has spent it's entire life in the water, no, it will not know it is wet. (Well, not until you haul it up on to land or the boat deck at least...)

 

[morse86]

Because there is no curvature to speak of when you are on the ground.
While there is obvious curvature of the Earth when seen from space (By numerous space agencies around the world, so don't go saying "IT'S A SATANIC LIE FROM NASA!"), it is not something we are capable of experience for ourselves, because we are on the object that is curved.

It's a bit like the question "Does the fish know it's wet in the ocean?". To the outsider, yes, the ocean is wet, but to the fish, who has spent it's entire life in the water, no, it will not know it is wet. (Well, not until you haul it up on to land or the boat deck at least...)

LIES!

If there is no curvature on the ground and only the atomsphere curves, the ground and the sky should meet together. Nice try!

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

LIES!

If there is no curvature on the ground and only the atomsphere curves, the ground and the sky should meet together. Nice try!

I'll repeat: there is curvature, but because we are on the object that is curved.
Remember that the Earth is 12,742 kilometers in diameter. If the Earth WAS flat, we'd be able to see, quite literally, to the ends of the Earths and everything in between (well, unless you had a mountain range in the way of course).
But we don't. We get the horizon instead.
Simple.

 

[pgp_protector]

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

I'll repeat: there is curvature, but because we are on the object that is curved.
Remember that the Earth is 12,742 kilometers in diameter. If the Earth WAS flat, we'd be able to see, quite literally, to the ends of the Earths and everything in between (well, unless you had a mountain range in the way of course).
But we don't. We get the horizon instead.
Simple.

I screwed up a little bit. I messed up a sentence.
I meant to say "..., but because we are on the object that is curved, we do not fully experience the curvature.'

 

[joshua 1 9]

Nice lies. Very deceptive.

Time to put you on the ignore list.

 

[The Barbarian]

1) Why doesn't raid road tracks take into account earth's curvature? There are 500 mile railroad tracks that are perfectly straight. The curvature at that distance should be more than 10 miles.

2) Why doesn't big oil pipes take into the earth's curvature? There are 100s of miles of oil pipes. The curvature at that distance should be more than 10 miles.

3) And the most important question, how come I can walk a 300 mile dessert that is perfectly flat and cannot measure that 10 mile curvature??!?!?
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As one who put himself through college as a gandy on summer track gangs, I can assure you that no line of track is "perfectly straight." I was pretty good with a tamper, and even with electronic guides, it wasn't perfect.

The acceptable error was vastly greater than the curvature of the Earth.

 

[SkyWriting]

1) Why doesn't raid road tracks take into account earth's curvature? There are 500 mile railroad tracks that are perfectly straight. The curvature at that distance should be more than 10 miles.

They do curve to the ground constantly up to 10 degrees of grade up and down.

 

[SkyWriting]

2) Why doesn't big oil pipes take into the earth's curvature? There are 100s of miles of oil pipes. The curvature at that distance should be more than 10 miles.

Indeed they do curve, if they were geometrically flat
the oil would still puddle in the middle of any flat stretch.

 

[eclipsenow]

The individual pipe or rail segments are too small to experience the curve. As someone above already mentioned, the allowances for error at the joins are already much greater, over thousands of km's, than the curvature of the earth! In other words, the 'curve' is smuggled into a mm or 2 bend at each join in the rail or pipe. Only if you had a straight bit of rail 10,000km long would the curvature of the earth stick out, and I'd love to see the foundry that could produce that!

 

[Paul of Eugene OR]

1) Why doesn't raid road tracks take into account earth's curvature? There are 500 mile railroad tracks that are perfectly straight. The curvature at that distance should be more than 10 miles.

2) Why doesn't big oil pipes take into the earth's curvature? There are 100s of miles of oil pipes. The curvature at that distance should be more than 10 miles.

3) And the most important question, how come I can walk a 300 mile dessert that is perfectly flat and cannot measure that 10 mile curvature??!?!?

Consider the reach of a lighthouse. No matter how how bright the lighthouse is, the distance a beam can be see at sea maxes out at about 20 miles. The reason is because beyond that distance, the lighthouse is hidden by the curve of the earth.

Consider the reach of an FM station. FM signals don't follow the curve of the earth, like AM signals do. So they max out at around 20 miles or so.

Here's an experiment you can try. Go to the tops of three different mountains, and find the angle formed by two mountains when seen from the others. All three such angles, added together, should be exactly 180 degrees if the earth is flat. If the earth is a globe, the angles will add up to more than 180 degrees. (Triangles on flat paper always add up to 180 degrees, you should remember that from geometry class.)

Oh, by the way, that has been done.

 

[eclipsenow]

Consider the reach of a lighthouse. No matter how how bright the lighthouse is, the distance a beam can be see at sea maxes out at about 20 miles. The reason is because beyond that distance, the lighthouse is hidden by the curve of the earth.

Consider the reach of an FM station. FM signals don't follow the curve of the earth, like AM signals do. So they max out at around 20 miles or so.

Here's an experiment you can try. Go to the tops of three different mountains, and find the angle formed by two mountains when seen from the others. All three such angles, added together, should be exactly 180 degrees if the earth is flat. If the earth is a globe, the angles will add up to more than 180 degrees. (Triangles on flat paper always add up to 180 degrees, you should remember that from geometry class.)

Oh, by the way, that has been done.

Love it! Let's not forget the ancient Greeks figured out the curve by watching sailboats on the horizon slowly disappear over it!

 

[JonFromMinnesota]

 

[Goonie]

And the prize for silliest thread goes to ....

 

[eclipsenow]

I hear you! I'm embarrassed to have participated.

 

[The Barbarian]

Only if you had a straight bit of rail 10,000km long would the curvature of the earth stick out, and I'd love to see the foundry that could produce that!

Actually, the steel used is quite springy and and even a standard length will bow markedly under its own weight. This is why continuous welded rail also conforms to changes in grade, and why you need to be very careful sorting things out in derailments where the rail is bent. When released from the weight of a car, it is likely to spring back with great force.