What if there was a pole, whose length was the circumference of the Earth?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a hypothetical scenario involving a pole with a length equal to the circumference of the Earth (24,901.55 miles) and its behavior when placed vertically on a flat landscape. Participants explore various possibilities regarding the pole's interaction with the Earth's curvature, material properties, and gravitational effects.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that the pole could wrap around the Earth, meeting at its ends, depending on the material properties of the pole.
  • Others argue that due to the Earth's curvature, the pole would not conform to the Earth's shape and would extend into space, raising questions about gravity's role in this scenario.
  • A few participants suggest that the pole would snap if made of a material with insufficient strength, though this is contingent on the pole's properties.
  • There is a discussion about the pole's resistance to bending, with some claiming that no known material could withstand the stress without yielding.
  • Some participants calculate that a pole would only need to deflect slightly to conform to the Earth's curvature, suggesting that even a rigid material would likely bend without breaking.
  • One participant introduces the idea of the pole being hollow, which leads to further speculation about its tensile strength and material properties.
  • Another participant mentions the centrifugal force acting on the pole, questioning whether it would fly off into space or orbit the Earth instead of falling.
  • Concerns are raised about the clarity of the original question, particularly regarding the assumptions made about the Earth's rotation and the pole's stability.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus; multiple competing views remain regarding the behavior of the pole, its material properties, and the effects of gravity and Earth's curvature.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the assumptions underlying the scenario, including the nature of the pole's material and the effects of Earth's rotation. The discussion includes various hypothetical conditions that could influence the outcome.

  • #31
diazona said:
F = ma, I say - a slight touch (F) would produce a slight acceleration (a). So it would do something, even if the motion would be so small you couldn't measure it.
Well OK. I guess the same thing could be said about the Queen Mary. A slight touch sets it moving imperceptibly?
 
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  • #32
An other way I thought about looking at this thought experiment is if the pole was infinitely long. Would the pole keep on warping around the Earth? Or will it warp until ends meet (well sorta) and the equal force from each side would cancel any other warping and the rest of the extent will keep on jutting out into space?

Just something I thought would be interesting to add to this already interesting thought experiment.

Edit: Assume that the infinite pole is behaves the same way as the already finite pole.
 
Last edited:
  • #33
haloshade said:
An other way I thought about looking at this thought experiment is if the pole was infinitely long. Would the pole keep on warping around the Earth? Or will it warp until ends meet (well sorta) and the equal force from each side would cancel any other warping and the rest of the extent will keep on jutting out into space?

Just something I thought would be interesting to add to this already interesting thought experiment.

Edit: Assume that the infinite pole is behaves the same way as the already finite pole.

Uh, you lost me. An infinitely-long pole would form a helix of infinite width. I don't see where you're going with this.
 
  • #34
DaveC426913 said:
Uh, you lost me. An infinitely-long pole would form a helix of infinite width. I don't see where you're going with this.

Well I sort of worded it wrong, I meant a helix when I suggested my first option I just didn't word it properly. Sorry about that.
 

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