Do YOU believe the Earth is flat?

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In summary, the Earth is believed to be a flat disc with a circumference of 78,225 miles and a diameter of 24,900 miles. According to some models, the sun and moon are spotlights or metallic discs rotating above the Earth, and the stars are at a height of 3100 miles. There are various theories about gravity, including the belief that Dark Energy produces the same effect as gravity in our local reference frame. The concept of terminal velocity is explained by the acceleration of the Earth and air resistance. There is also speculation about what lies beneath the Earth and why gravity varies with altitude. However, the flat Earth society does not believe in gravity as a force and instead believes in the acceleration of the Earth.

Is the Earth flat?


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  • #1
thrill3rnit3
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http://theflatEarth'society.org/for...1505d6b5883a9d597b57940b118119b&topic=13876.0

Q: "What is the circumference and diameter of the Earth?"

Circumference: 78,225 miles
Diameter: 24,900 miles

In John Davis's model, the Earth is an infinite plane and is 9000 kilometers deep.

Q: "What about the stars, sun and moon and other planets? Are they flat too? What are they made of?"

A1: The sun and moon, each 32 miles in diameter, rotate at a height of 3000 miles above sea level. As they are spotlights, they only illuminate certain places. This explains why there are nights and days on Earth.

A2: In James McIntyre's model, the sun and the moon are metallic discs. These discs are being held above the Earth by photoelectric effect. See: Photoelectric Suspension Theory.

The stars are at a height of 3100 miles above sea level, which is as far as from San Francisco to Boston.

Q: "Please explain sunrises/sunsets."

A: It's a perspective effect. Really, the sun is just getting farther away; it looks like it's disappearing because everything gets smaller, and eventually disappears as it gets farther away.

UPDATE: The Electromagnetic Acceleration (aka "bendy light") theory is currently being developed and reviewed by members. Once completed, the theory of Electromagnetic Acceleration will be used as an alternative in explaining sunrises/sunsets and horizons for the general model only. The theories of perspective laws and vanishing points from E:NaG will still be the accurate representations of the FET.

Q: "Why are other celestial bodies round but not the Earth?"

A: The Earth is not one of the other planets. The Earth is special and unlike the other bodies in numerous ways.

Q: "What about satellites? How do they orbit the Earth?"

A: Since sustained spaceflight is not possible, satellites can't orbit the Earth. The signals we supposedly receive from them are either broadcast from towers or any number of possible pseudolites. However, temporary space-flight is possible.

Q: "What's underneath the Earth?" aka "What's on the bottom?" aka "What's on the other side?"

A: This is unknown. Some believe it to be just rocks, while others believe the Earth rests on the back of four elephants and a turtle.

Q: "What about gravity?"

A1: In the general model, Dark Energy accelerates the Earth and all celestial bodies in the universe at 9.8m/s2. This is commonly known as Universal Acceleration, which produces the same effect as "gravity" in our local reference frame. See: Equivalence Principle.

A2: In James McIntyre's model, Universal Accelerator is an object that sits underneath the Earth and pushes it up at an acceleration of 9.8m/s2. This mediates observable gravitational effects in our local reference frame.

A3: In John Davis's model, the infinite plane produces a finite gravitational field with a downward pull. Here is the mathematical formulation behind this model.

Q: "Isn't this version of gravity flawed for the moving Earth? Wouldn't planes/helicopters/paragliders crash into the Earth as the Earth rises up to them?"

A: No. By the same argument, we could ask why planes/helicopters/paragliders don't crash into the Earth as they accelerate down towards them. The reason that planes do not crash is that their wings produce lift, which, when the rate of acceleration upwards equals that of gravity's pull downwards, causes them to remain at a constant altitude.

The same thing happens if the Earth is moving up. The plane is accelerating upwards at the same rate as the Earth, which means the distance between them does not change. Therefore, the plane stays at the same height and does not crash.

Q: "Doesn't this mean we'd be traveling faster than the speed of light, which is impossible?"

A: The equations of Special Relativity prevent an object from accelerating to the speed of light. Due to this restriction, these equations prove that an object can accelerate at a constant rate forever, and never reach the speed of light. For an in depth explanation: Click here.

Q: "In the moving Earth, why does a feather fall slower than a bowling ball"?

A: It's due to air resistance. The Earth accelerates the air, and the air in turn accelerates the feather up faster than the bowling ball. In our reference frame, it seems that the feather is falling slower than the bowling ball.

Q: "If gravity does not exist, how does terminal velocity work"?

A: When the acceleration of the person is equal to the acceleration of the Earth, the person has reached terminal velocity (Diagram).

Q: "If the world was really flat, what would happen if you jump off the disc's edge?"

A1: In the general model, you would become directly affected by Dark Energy as the Earth is, creating the illusion that you are standing next to the Earth.

A2: In James McIntyre's model, if you were to come into contact with the Universal Accelerator, which is functionally a physical object, you would consequently rise at an accelerating rate equal to that of the Earth. The local effect would be the appearance of just standing next to the Earth. Since nobody knows what the Universal Accelerator looks like, this might not even be distinguishable from just standing on more ground.

Q: "If the Earth was indeed a flat disc, wouldn't the whole planet crunch up into itself and eventually transform into a ball?"

A: If the Earth generated a gravitational field, it would eventually happen. Of course, it would take a billion years for the process to complete. FE assumes that the Earth does not generate a gravitational field. What we know as 'gravity' is provided by the acceleration of the earth.

Q: "Why does gravity vary with altitude?"

A: The heavenly bodies have a slight gravitational pull. However, not all FE'ers believe that gravity varies with altitude.

Q: Follow-up to previous question: "How is it that the Earth does not have a gravitational pull, but stars and the moon do?"

A: This argument is a non-sequitur. You might as well ask, "How is it that snakes do not have legs, but dogs and cats do?" Snakes are not dogs or cats. The Earth is not a star or the moon. It doesn't follow that each must have exactly the properties of the others, and no more.
 
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  • #2
my god...
 
  • #3
All my world maps show the Earth as flat.
 
  • #4
It is a very interesting website (and society) at the very least...
 
  • #5
It makes perfect sense.
 
  • #6
Notice that this form has an impressive 600,000 posts(PF has 2 mil in comparison, mostly from the "homework help").

How could "Flat Earth theory" be about as organized as the largest physics forum(at least in English) on the internet?
 
  • #7
Because, alas, it is a big in-joke. Some very respected members of society are Flat-Earthers, and staunchly keep in-character about it, never revealing the joke to outsiders.
 
  • #8
And don't get me started about the great ice wall...
 
  • #9
Do any of their scientific assertions make sense?
 
  • #10
This logic reminds me of Calvin (of the Calvin & Hobbes cartoon), whose father explains why old photographs are black and white. Hilarious!

__________


Calvin: Dad, how come old photographs are always black and white? Didn’t they have color film back then?

Calvin’s dad: Sure they did, in fact, those old photographs ARE in color. It’s just the WORLD was black and white then.

Calvin: Really?

Calvin’s dad: Yep. The world didn’t turn color until sometime in the 1930s, and it was pretty grainy color for a while, too.

Calvin: That’s really weird.

Calvin’s dad: Well, truth is stranger than fiction.

Calvin: But then why are old PAINTINGS in color?! If the world was black and white, wouldn’t artists have painted it that way?

Calvin’s dad: Not necessarily. A lot of great artists were insane.

Calvin: But… but how could they have painted in color anyway? Wouldn’t their paints have been shades of gray back then?

Calvin’s dad: Of course, but they turned colors like everything else did in the 30’s.

Calvin: So why didn’t old black and white photos turn color too?

Calvin’s dad: Because they were color pictures of black and white, remember?

Later…

Calvin: The world is a complicated place, Hobbes.

Hobbes: Whenever it seems that way, I take a nap in a tree and wait for dinner.
 
  • #11
Q: "What is the circumference and diameter of the Earth?"

Circumference: 78,225 miles
Diameter: 24,900 miles

In John Davis's model, the Earth is an infinite plane and is 9000 kilometers deep.

You know what I hate more than flat earthers? People who switch between miles and kilometers in the same sentence/paragraph/subject.
 
  • #12
John Davis' Model? I didn't know the creator of Garfield was so smart!

I hope for the sake of humanity that this site is one big tongue-in-cheek.
 
  • #13
Loren Booda said:
This logic reminds me of Calvin (of the Calvin & Hobbes cartoon), whose father explains why old photographs are black and white. Hilarious!

__________


Calvin: Dad, how come old photographs are always black and white? Didn’t they have color film back then?

Calvin’s dad: Sure they did, in fact, those old photographs ARE in color. It’s just the WORLD was black and white then.

Calvin: Really?

Calvin’s dad: Yep. The world didn’t turn color until sometime in the 1930s, and it was pretty grainy color for a while, too.

Calvin: That’s really weird.

Calvin’s dad: Well, truth is stranger than fiction.

Calvin: But then why are old PAINTINGS in color?! If the world was black and white, wouldn’t artists have painted it that way?

Calvin’s dad: Not necessarily. A lot of great artists were insane.

Calvin: But… but how could they have painted in color anyway? Wouldn’t their paints have been shades of gray back then?

Calvin’s dad: Of course, but they turned colors like everything else did in the 30’s.

Calvin: So why didn’t old black and white photos turn color too?

Calvin’s dad: Because they were color pictures of black and white, remember?

Later…

Calvin: The world is a complicated place, Hobbes.

Hobbes: Whenever it seems that way, I take a nap in a tree and wait for dinner.

I adore Calvin and Hobbes, and that dialogue is one of my favourites. :biggrin: I frequently refer to the time when the world was still black and white.
 
  • #14
I was expecting more people to have voted yes because most of us are smart asses here :cool:
 
  • #15
Yeah, the Earth could use some silicone enhancement.
 
  • #16
Flat-Earth discussions are specifically banned in the global guidelines.
 

1. What evidence supports the belief that the Earth is flat?

There is no scientific evidence to support the belief that the Earth is flat. Multiple lines of evidence, including satellite imagery, global positioning systems, and observations of celestial bodies, all confirm that the Earth is a spherical shape.

2. How do you explain the curvature of the Earth?

The curvature of the Earth is due to its spherical shape. As an object increases in size, its curvature becomes more noticeable. This is why the curvature of the Earth is not apparent to us on a daily basis, but can be seen from a distance or through technological advancements.

3. Can't we see that the Earth is flat with our own eyes?

No, the Earth appears flat to us due to its immense size. However, when we observe objects in the distance, such as ships disappearing over the horizon, we can see the curvature of the Earth. Additionally, images from space clearly show the spherical shape of the Earth.

4. Why do some people still believe the Earth is flat?

Some people may believe in a flat Earth due to misinformation, conspiracy theories, or personal beliefs. However, the overwhelming scientific evidence supports the fact that the Earth is a sphere.

5. Can you provide any proof that the Earth is not flat?

Yes, there is a vast amount of scientific evidence that supports the spherical shape of the Earth. This includes satellite imagery, global navigation systems, and observations of celestial bodies. Additionally, the concept of a flat Earth goes against fundamental principles of physics and mathematics.

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