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If you were to dig a hole straight down through the core and through the other side, what would happen? If I am correct in saying the earth is a sphere, and you drilled straight down would you end up upside down in the end, how would that work?

Lets remove a couple things that I know I'll get smart @ss answers on. Let's say there is no core in the center of the earth and that, for test conditions sake, the earth is a vacuum. What would happen?

It just occurred to me as strange.

Thanks,
Ian

you'd get to the middle and then you'd float as there would be no gravitational force pulling you 'down' (F = GMm/R²)

But then, when you floated for a little while, you'd find the dinosaurs would come out and gobble you up. Along with the cavemen.

That's where they live.

Newton knew about them, he just couldn't get the equations to fit.

there's always one smart *rse

hehe

The Earth is a vacuum? Well once you break the surface it implodes!!!

Ian the Mental-Ian wrote:If you were to dig a hole straight down through the core and through the other side, what would happen?

Well, at the precise moment that we reach the core, our entire reality would dissolve, and in it's place a huge neon sign would appear bearing the words:

"CONGRATULATIONS, PLEASE INSERT £2.50 TO PROCEED TO LEVEL 2"

Why not go over to Talk Physics and ask them - this is Talk Magic!

dat8962 wrote:Why not go over to Talk Physics and ask them - this is Talk Magic!

Well, this is the Dove's Head... It's not as if the question was posted in Misc or Support and Tips.

Well does anyone know what would really happen. The earth doesn't have to be a vacuum... what would happen just as a hypothetical idea?

As has been stated there would come a point where you wouldn't go down anymore. Gravity pulls you towards the centre of the earth - not the other side of the earth.

You would fall down to the mid point (there would have to be something there that you would be pulled towards) at which point you'd stop - or if there was like a really heavy football in the centre of the earth, you'd orbit around it.

i'd like to think we'd turn into a golden unicorn as we pass through the centre of the earth...

http://www.ubasics.com/dighole/

As you pass through the exact gravitational centre, you'd find that instead of digging downwards, you'd have to dig upwards - digging the dirt from above your head ........ kinda like you're digging an escape tunnel and you're tunnelling upwards, about to reach the surface.

.......... well that's my take on it anyway .

Once you reach about 10 feet down Health and Safety will turn up and close down your hole digging operation.

As has been stated there would come a point where you wouldn't go down anymore

I'd replace the word 'wouldn't' with the word 'couldn't' which makes the whole question of what would 'really' happen impossible to answer and irrelevent. No-one could know - only hypothesise.

Moonbeam wrote:

As you pass through the exact gravitational centre, you'd find that instead of digging downwards, you'd have to dig upwards - digging the dirt from above your head ........ kinda like you're digging an escape tunnel and you're tunnelling upwards, about to reach the surface.

That's the logical answer if it were possible

Totally Mental wrote:

Once you reach about 10 feet down Health and Safety will turn up and close down your hole digging operation.

Ain't that the truth

I recall reading somewhere that, because of your velocity, you might actually pass through the centre, come almost as far to the other side, then come back through the centre, except go a little less far. This would continue, you sort of bouncing back and forth through the centre until you come to a rest dead centre.

I also recall that, no matter what two points on earths surface you start with, as long as the path is perfectly straight (and you don't have to worry about friction etc), the "fall" from one point to the other would take approximately 42 minutes. You don't even have to pass through the centre! Weird, eh?

- Rob

At the centre of the earth, gravity would be pulling in all directions at once, so you'd be crushed into a perfectly spherical lump of bone and gelatinous goo.