2006-06-13 09:59:38 · 17 answers · asked by pj 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
I can think of a few interesting details. If the two anchor points are fixed, given a unbreakable connection and rope, you would see immediate massive destruction. But, consider a unbreakable rope, and a movable anchor. Ha, what would happen? The Moon is moving away from the Earth due to tidal forces over time, so stopping that would slowly increase the Moons period of orbit. Strange stuff. And the orbit is not circular, so when you attach the rope will be important. If the rope is attached at the Moons closest point, we would see a immediate increase in periodicity.
But about the rope itself - with 108570 km of rope, what is a reasonable mass? Just guessing a thickness of say 120 km (two percent of the earths radius) gives a volume of ~ 390 million cubic km. Now, that is only one tenth the volume of the moon itself, and if the material was not light enough, its density and proximity to earth would have a huge effect on tides. So the existence of the rope will be enough arguably, to cause catastrophic change.
2006-06-13 10:59:26 · answer #1 · answered by Karman V 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would result in a disaster for both the earth and moon if the rope did not break or stretch. The earth spins and the moon is not in a precise circular orbit. Anything that messes this up - like your strong rope - is going to create problems with tides, day-night cycles and weather.
2006-06-13 10:09:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As someone earlier said: given that the earth rotates faster than the moon revolves around the earth the rope would wrap around the earth pulling the moon into it.
2006-06-13 10:15:51 · answer #3 · answered by L P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As the Moon still rotates around Earth at a different rate than Earth's rotation around its own axis, it would eventually twist around our Planet, pulling the Moon closer and closer, until eventually the two spheres would be so close to each other, that the Earth's gravity which is 6 times stronger than that of the moon, would give it Kinetic Energy, and thus the Moon would collide with the Earth. May be shattering Earth to pieces. So please don't do that...
2006-06-13 10:06:11 · answer #4 · answered by Rachna 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Moon would fall to the Earth OR the rope would break. The Moon must revolve around the Earth, otherwise it would fall towards it.
2006-06-13 10:05:17 · answer #5 · answered by beholder_sk 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Planetwide rope burn eventually severing the earth in half like a rope saw.
The moon would revolve around the earth, with the rope digging into it, untill it split in half.
2006-06-13 10:03:33 · answer #6 · answered by Stoner369 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it was strong enough the moon would collide with the earth. If not the rope would break.
2006-06-13 10:05:15 · answer #7 · answered by Zachariaha 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you ever seen a dog tied to a stump in the middle of the garden? Then the dog starts to go round and round the stump? Think of it like that but on a bigger scale.
Oh and the tides would all go to hell and the entire planet would flood, one area after another as the moons gravity dragged all of the water round and round the planet like a huge Mexican Wave. Lovely!
2006-06-13 21:20:37 · answer #8 · answered by Paul H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even if you could find a material that could support itself it would eventually snap as the Moon is moving ever-so-slowly away from the Earth.
2006-06-13 20:55:58 · answer #9 · answered by cogent 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
how are you going to make a rope a quarter of a million miles long?
it would shear off at one or both ends as the earth rotates at 67,000 m.p.h. around the sun
2006-06-13 10:09:59 · answer #10 · answered by brucebirchall 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋