morcus
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 03:58 PM |
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Another Physics Question
Can anyone help with the following?
It is my understanding that if you were to build a tunnel directly through the earth to the otherside (Perpendicular to a tangent and assuming the
earth is a sphere) and you were to drop something into the tunnel (Again assuming the item has no dimensions that would interfere with regards to
friction or air resistance) it would accellerate to the centre of the earth, then deccellerate at exactly the same rate until it reached a point on
the otherside of the earth at the same hight it was dropped.
Is that theoretically right? If yes would it do it for ever?
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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Fred W B
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 04:02 PM |
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To mind, and in the absence of any friction, wind resistance etc etc, the answers would be Yes, and Yes
Cheers
Fred W B
You can do it quickly. You can do it cheap. You can do it right. – Pick any two.
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v8kid
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 04:05 PM |
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Yes it would be sinusoidal motion (I think)
You'd be surprised how quickly the sales people at B&Q try and assist you after ignoring you for the past 15 minutes when you try and start a
chainsaw
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JoelP
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 04:05 PM |
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Agreed.
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blakep82
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 04:06 PM |
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and apparently, would take 42 minutes for it to get to the other side, if i remember rightly
i would love to see it happen 
________________________
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adithorp
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 04:14 PM |
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Yes, it's called a gravity tunnel. The trip would take 42 mins. You in theory can connect ANY 2 points on the earths surface with a streight
tunnel and pass through on a frictionless vehicle/sled/train... and you'd emerge at the other end in 42 mins. It doesn't have to go
through the centre.
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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Irony
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 04:31 PM |
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I think I heard somewhere that even tunnel from Edinburgh to London would reach a depth of nine miles in a gravity tunnel
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T66
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 04:52 PM |
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Before I answer - I want to see your digger
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morcus
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 05:17 PM |
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Glad to hear I'd remembered propperly and the bit about not going through the middle was going to be another question.
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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matt_gsxr
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 05:57 PM |
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You would scrape on the walls a bit owing to the rotation of the earth, unless you dropped down along the axis of rotation.
But apart from that (and all the other reasons) its a great idea.
Matt
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britishtrident
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 06:08 PM |
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From the distant memory of a 6th year physics class nearly 40 years ago the term "Potential Well" comes to mind.
[Edited on 13/5/11 by britishtrident]
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deezee
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| posted on 13/5/11 at 07:55 PM |
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I think your two largest problems would be the 6000 degrees at the centre of the earth, and an estimated velocity of 15,000 Mph when you get to the
middle. Then the simple rotation of earth, were the earth rotates but your not, so you'd defiantly strike the walls of the tunnel.
But to answer the question, no. It would not continue forever, it flys in the face of thermodynamics. But it would last a very long time.
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