so 0.999 = 1 and the plane flies, but what about drills and gravity?

[J0hnny]

If such a drill were to exist, if we were to bore down toward the center of the earth and then drill through to the other side, would it be easier to drill "down" or drill "up"?

What would gravity be doing at the center?

 

[Vegitto]

Gravity would be the highest, I think, so I think it'd be best to drill from both sides at the same time.

 

[sao123]

gravity would be pulling equally in all directions at the center, and you would be torn to pieces or weightless, depending on the size of the force.

This of course assumes you dont melt trying to get there.

 

[Forsythe]

Originally posted by: Vegitto
Gravity would be the highest, I think, so I think it'd be best to drill from both sides at the same time.

There's no gravity at the center of the earth. Atleast very little. At the center of the earth you'd have somewhat the same mass in every direction, and you would feel no humanly disinguishable pull.

Drilling would be weird, as drilling up you'd get all the earth in you face behind the drill. Drilling down you have to remove it, and you don't have to excert force on the drill as gravity would take care of that.

It would be way easier drilling to the center than from the center.

 

[Forsythe]

Originally posted by: sao123
gravity would be pulling equally in all directions at the center, and you would be torn to pieces or weightless, depending on the size of the force.

This of course assumes you dont melt trying to get there.

Doesn't work that way. The forces are combined to an angle.

 

[Vegitto]

Originally posted by: Forsythe

Originally posted by: Vegitto
Gravity would be the highest, I think, so I think it'd be best to drill from both sides at the same time.

There's no gravity at the center of the earth. Atleast very little. At the center of the earth you'd have somewhat the same mass in every direction, and you would feel no humanly disinguishable pull.

Drilling would be weird, as drilling up you'd get all the earth in you face behind the drill. Drilling down you have to remove it, and you don't have to excert force on the drill as gravity would take care of that.

It would be way easier drilling to the center than from the center.

Oops.

 

[troglodytis]

how does one drill liquid?

 

[J0hnny]

Originally posted by: troglodytis
how does one drill liquid?

The drill would just push through easily! Remember, pretend that the drill is strong enough to handle the enormous pressures and heat at the center of the earth!

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: troglodytis
how does one drill liquid?

like a boat propellor. You wouldn't create a lasting hole, but you would move through the liquid.

 

[J0hnny]

While in the center, is the drill actually freely floating?

 

[AMCRambler]

Sounds like somebody has been watching "The Core" maybe? My guess is once you reach the core, you'd be weightless, but then doesn't gravity become stronger the closer to the core you get? So assuming you were able to get there, once there I don't think you could leave. The force would be so strong it would just hold you there.

 

[radioouman]

No gravity at the center of the earth. Equal from both sides.

But it would only take you 47 minutes if you jumped into your freshly drilled hole to go from one side of the earth to the other!

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: radioouman
But it would only take you 47 minutes if you jumped into your freshly drilled hole to go from one side of the earth to the other!

What if during your freefall, you bump into one of the walls along the way and have a little bit of friction? Or what if there is air in the hole with wind resistance? And if the hole is big and there is no air, how do you keep such a large volume a perfect vacuum? And finally, do I get complimentary pretzels with my trip?

 

[Auryg]

Originally posted by: radioouman
No gravity at the center of the earth. Equal from both sides.

But it would only take you 47 minutes if you jumped into your freshly drilled hole to go from one side of the earth to the other!

Is that a real number?

 

[Vegitto]

Originally posted by: radioouman
No gravity at the center of the earth. Equal from both sides.

But it would only take you 47 minutes if you jumped into your freshly drilled hole to go from one side of the earth to the other!

How would that work? Let's assume you've drilled a perfect hole and removed the core. You jump in the hole from one side, what will happen when you fall out?

 

[Turin39789]

what happens to all the magma you encounter on your way through ? does it come shooting up the hole?

 

[Exterous]

Originally posted by: Vegitto

Originally posted by: radioouman
No gravity at the center of the earth. Equal from both sides.

But it would only take you 47 minutes if you jumped into your freshly drilled hole to go from one side of the earth to the other!

How would that work? Let's assume you've drilled a perfect hole and removed the core. You jump in the hole from one side, what will happen when you fall out?

You won't fall out, you'd have to climb.

 

[yowolabi]

Originally posted by: Exterous

Originally posted by: Vegitto

Originally posted by: radioouman
No gravity at the center of the earth. Equal from both sides.

But it would only take you 47 minutes if you jumped into your freshly drilled hole to go from one side of the earth to the other!

How would that work? Let's assume you've drilled a perfect hole and removed the core. You jump in the hole from one side, what will happen when you fall out?

You won't fall out, you'd have to climb.

So factoring in the climbing up from the center of the earth.... 48 minutes?

 

[Born2bwire]

You start drilling in from one direction, and then you end up making a crappy movie about it that's devoid of any knowledge of math, science, physics, and rational thought.

 

[zoiks]

42

 

[J0hnny]

Originally posted by: Turin39789
what happens to all the magma you encounter on your way through ? does it come shooting up the hole?

Yes, but hypothetically the equipment can handle all of this (imagine a power source that cools it faster than it's being heated).

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: J0hnny

Originally posted by: Turin39789
what happens to all the magma you encounter on your way through ? does it come shooting up the hole?

Yes, but hypothetically the equipment can handle all of this (imagine a power source that cools it faster than it's being heated).

I was more worried about the people on the surface

 

[J0hnny]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: J0hnny

Originally posted by: Turin39789
what happens to all the magma you encounter on your way through ? does it come shooting up the hole?

Yes, but hypothetically the equipment can handle all of this (imagine a power source that cools it faster than it's being heated).

I was more worried about the people on the surface

by the time the magma has reached the surface, because of the super cooling technology, nothing but cold hard rocks would make it up to the surface.

 

[Rubycon]

Just make sure the drill has reverse so when the bit comes through China all the magma goes THAT way upon withdrawal. :laugh:

 

[KnickNut3]

Well due to conservation of energy you'd have exactly the same velocity coming out of the hole as you had going in (assuming you enter/exit at same height relative to sea level). So if you hop in, you'd come out of the hole about 6 feet (feet first, of course).

I always imagine someone not quite going in fast enough (or losing energy from air resistance), and ends up flying back and forth like a pendulum in the hole. Wheeeee!