• Question: Could the Earth be flat but give the illusion of being round as it spins so fast and gravity pulls us down?

    Asked by anon-174268 to Yewande, Tim, Melanie, Hayley, Carl, Alex on 13 Jun 2018.
    • Photo: Alex Seeney

      Alex Seeney answered on 13 Jun 2018:

      No – there are a few things that wouldn’t be possible with a flat earth:

      – Seasons – we wouldn’t experience these with a flat earth.
      – We can see different stars from different locations around the earth – this wouldn’t be the case if the earth was flat.
      – Sunrise/sunset happens at different times depending on where you are – this wouldn’t be the case if the earth was flat.

    • Photo: Tim Craig

      Tim Craig answered on 13 Jun 2018:

      If the Earth was flat, what would it be spinning around?

      Overall, I think the evidence for a spherical Earth is pretty concrete. Eratosthenese (a Greek philosopher/scientist) first calculated the approximate circumference of a spherical Earth in ~250BC based on the movement of the Sun, and the evidence has only grown stronger and stronger since then.

    • Photo: Carl Barford

      Carl Barford answered on 14 Jun 2018:

      If the earth was flat, then we need a force to push us into it, this would mean the earth was accelerating (speeding up) constantly, with us on top. If it did not accelerate, everything would float.
      The other way is for us to be underneath, and the earth to be slowing down all the time – you feel this when you are in a car of plane and it is stopping or setting off

      Doesn’t seem likely to be happening over millions of years?

      Now all try the helium balloon trick – which direction does a balloon go when it is in a car which is breaking. It is the opposite direction to what you think?

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