What Happens If You Jump Into a Hole Drilled Through the Earth?

[Cowkilla]

Science question: need some help!

I have a question that's been bugging me for ages:

If someone were to drill a hole through the Earth and jump into it. Let say the tunnel spans from the North to South, and we ignore the limiting factors, such as the extreme heat and the hole won't collapse and there is sufficient oxygen, what will happen?

I remember reading it from the Popular Science magazine (June 2005) and I really need to know what will happen, because I forgot the answer and why! Will the guy just pass through the tunnel and end up on the other side, or will he go through the tunnel and stop at the center of the Earth as a result of gravity?

 

[Tide]

Without friction or other "limiting factors" the jumper will have acquired rather significant momentum by the time he reaches the center of the Earth and will simply keep on going.

 

[chroot]

He will display damped simple harmonic motion. He will oscillate between the north pole and south pole, gradually slowing down due to air friction and so on.

- Warren

 

[russ_watters]

Unless someone is waiting at the south pole to catch him, of course...