Curved earth experiment
Curved earth experiment
by jdt » September 22nd, 2021, 2:20 pm
I don't know if we have any flat earthers left here, but I have been thinking of reproducing ancient experiments that demonstrate the roundness of the earth. Or at least a slightly modified version.
Since today is the autumnal equinox, the sun is directly over the equator. At mid-day anywhere in the world, you place an object perpendicular to the ground and measure the shadow cast. Use some basic trigonometry and you can calculate the angle of the sun to your point on earth. This angle is your latitude on an equinox. With a flat earth, the angle would be the same for all people over the earth and would not correlate to your latitude. I only did the experiment myself, so I suppose I cannot prove that I just happened to be the broken clock twice a day, where my latitude just happens to be the one for the entire earth. Due to measurement errors (pole is not exactly perpendicular, I don't perfectly measure the shadow, etc.), I was maybe expecting to be accurate within a degree or two.
I live in Meridian, ID so I did the experiment at 1:38 p.m. MDT (I have an app that tells me sunrise is 7:33am and sunset is 7:43pm, divide by two and voila). This is also confirmed because the shadow cast runs directly north-south.
Image of setup: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FKnkQF ... wQDZv/view (Note: I set things up about 20 minutes before hand so the shadow does not run north-south or perpendicular to the edge of the concrete pad)
I made a mark of the end. It was a little cloudy, so it was somewhat difficult to see the end: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KbisFd ... uAjG0/view
Lastly I measure the pole and mark: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A_9Gua ... MUvko/view
Now for the math:
The pole is exactly 24"
I measured the mark as 22.875" (22 and 7/8ths)
Let's call the angle A.
tan A = 22.875/24
tan A = 0.953125
A = arctan 0.953125
A = 43.625°
Per a simple google search: h[url]ttps://www.google.com/search?q=meridian%2C+idaho+latitude[/url]
The latitude of Meridian is: 43.6121° N
This was accurate within 2 hundredths of degree, 100x more accurate than I was hoping! I am still convinced this is pretty lucky, accuracy wise.
Anyone curious couple do experiment again tomorrow at their own homes (the further away from the equinox's you are the less accurate you are).
I don't know if we have any flat earthers left here, but I have been thinking of reproducing ancient experiments that demonstrate the roundness of the earth. Or at least a slightly modified version.
Since today is the autumnal equinox, the sun is directly over the equator. At mid-day anywhere in the world, you place an object perpendicular to the ground and measure the shadow cast. Use some basic trigonometry and you can calculate the angle of the sun to your point on earth. This angle is your latitude on an equinox. With a flat earth, the angle would be the same for all people over the earth and would not correlate to your latitude. I only did the experiment myself, so I suppose I cannot prove that I just happened to be the broken clock twice a day, where my latitude just happens to be the one for the entire earth. Due to measurement errors (pole is not exactly perpendicular, I don't perfectly measure the shadow, etc.), I was maybe expecting to be accurate within a degree or two.
I live in Meridian, ID so I did the experiment at 1:38 p.m. MDT (I have an app that tells me sunrise is 7:33am and sunset is 7:43pm, divide by two and voila). This is also confirmed because the shadow cast runs directly north-south.
Image of setup: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FKnkQF ... wQDZv/view (Note: I set things up about 20 minutes before hand so the shadow does not run north-south or perpendicular to the edge of the concrete pad)
I made a mark of the end. It was a little cloudy, so it was somewhat difficult to see the end: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KbisFd ... uAjG0/view
Lastly I measure the pole and mark: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A_9Gua ... MUvko/view
Now for the math:
The pole is exactly 24"
I measured the mark as 22.875" (22 and 7/8ths)
Let's call the angle A.
tan A = 22.875/24
tan A = 0.953125
A = arctan 0.953125
A = 43.625°
Per a simple google search: h[url]ttps://www.google.com/search?q=meridian%2C+idaho+latitude[/url]
The latitude of Meridian is: 43.6121° N
This was accurate within 2 hundredths of degree, 100x more accurate than I was hoping! I am still convinced this is pretty lucky, accuracy wise.
Anyone curious couple do experiment again tomorrow at their own homes (the further away from the equinox's you are the less accurate you are).
- Perry Mason
- Posts: 132
- Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:45 pm
Re: Curved earth experiment
For those that think Antarctica is uninhabited.
It is in Spanish, but has subtitles.
https://youtu.be/RaezIhiB4QM
It is in Spanish, but has subtitles.
https://youtu.be/RaezIhiB4QM
- Edgar Summer
- Posts: 153
- Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2020 2:49 am
Re: Curved earth experiment
This is a rather long video. It has the capability to make one think. Not accepting either the globe earth theory or the flat earth theory. It is definitely something to think about.
https://youtu.be/8Ul0e6lw130
https://youtu.be/8Ul0e6lw130
Re: Curved earth experiment
Here's a 35-minute video demonstrating how an IRS (inertial reference system) in an actual airplane can detect its latitude, but not its longitude, based on the earth's rotation, as would be expected on a rotating globe earth.
So the IRS is engineered to factor it in, and will not even work if its told its at the wrong latitude when compared to what it's detecting. It can even detect whether it's north or south of the equator.
On a flat earth, none of this would be possible.
https://youtu.be/tUwHc_wUykk
So the IRS is engineered to factor it in, and will not even work if its told its at the wrong latitude when compared to what it's detecting. It can even detect whether it's north or south of the equator.
On a flat earth, none of this would be possible.
https://youtu.be/tUwHc_wUykk
- Fred Flintstone
- Posts: 158
- Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2020 8:34 pm
- Fred Flintstone
- Posts: 158
- Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2020 8:34 pm
Re: Curved earth experiment
You probably recognize this guy from 74Gear. He does all sorts of videos about flying a 747.
I have always said that a pilot can easily determine if the world is round simply by flying over the south pole. There are other ways, of course. Here is a clip that totally caught me off guard:
https://UtahPatriots.org/downloads/74ge ... -round.mp4
I have always said that a pilot can easily determine if the world is round simply by flying over the south pole. There are other ways, of course. Here is a clip that totally caught me off guard:
https://UtahPatriots.org/downloads/74ge ... -round.mp4