If You drilled a hole straight through the top of the earth to the bottom and...?

Question

If You drilled a hole straight through the top of the earth to the bottom and...you jumped down it which way would you turn because if your upright on top of the earth and you jump to bottom and you upside down what would happen - what would happen, which way would you turn up - very confusing

Answer 1

Assuming you could actually do this and lined the tunnel so that there was a clear way fromNorth Pole to South pole then perhaps the following:

As you dropped feet first you would spin clockwise (looking N to S) faster and faster until you reached middle earth.

Assuming no hobbit stopped you and your fire proof underwear lasted you would carry on feet first but you would start to slow down and rotate less rapidly until your feet reached the surface at the South pole.

At this point you would have stopped spinning and be momentarily stopped.

Then.... You start falling back down the hole head first and start to spin faster still in a clockwise direction when viewed N to S (but anticlockwise to someone looking S to N.)

Then go back to paragraph two but of course your leading with your head! Then the whole thing starts again.

Now what happens if you stand somewhere on the equator? Anyone?

Salam Wa Alekum

Answer 2

As soon as you step in the hole, you will start to fall, obviously, towards the centre of the earth. But unlike a free fall from a plane, where your velocity increases at the rate of around 9.8 m/s², in this free fall your acceleration will be decreasing continuously. Your velocity will still be increasing, but at a decreasing rate, until, at the centre of the earth, the acceleration will be zero.

As you speed past the centre of the earth, your acceleration will now be negative, i.e. deceleration. So as you are moving towards the opposite surface of the Earth, your speed will decrease until you stop, probably somewhere near to the surface, but not exactly "re-surfacing" (due to the friction, if any is available). And you would be upside down, appearing feet first.

Now you will again start falling back towards the centre, and stopping only a little further away from the point you started. You will again fall from there, and it goes on, until finally you stop one fine day at the very centre of the Earth. But you won't settle there because there is no gravitational pull to keep you "down". You will float around the place.

I hope I wasn't very technical in the explanation. :-)

Answer 3

Actually it is impossible to even go upto the centre because of the high temperature at the centre of the earth. This is because the earth was formed by a swirling hot mass which cooled down on the inside but is still hot on the outside.

But considering that we can go halfway down the earth we will start performing simple harmonic motion which means that there is no way we can come out.

Hence I am sorry to say that the question does not arise at all.

Answer 4

Assuming it is possible, you would jump, fall as you are pulled towards the centre of the earth by the gravatational force, then you would pass the centre and your momentum would carry you out the other side, but there would be loss in energy so you would start to fall back towards the centre before you reached the other side of the earth.

You would do this sort of up/down motion until the oscialliations became so small you were stuck in the middle of the earth.

Answer 5

Come on guys....GIVE HIM A BREAK!!! He said "IF"....we all know this is not (yet) a possibility, but isn't it funny to just wonder??

I think the fall would be such a long one, that at a certain point it would not be vertical anymore (because of earth rotation- actually depending where you are at the time of drilling) The fall would gradually stop, till you'd be in a vertical position, and after a few hour, it'd be vertical again, but you'd be falling in the opposite direction, ended where you started (if lucky) Of course, with all the heat, pressure, etc.....probably you'd be just a memory by the time you get to the starting point again....24 hours later.....don't know....just babbling.....hehehehe

Answer 6

If you jump into such a hole, you would float about at the centre of the earth since the acceleration due to gravity there is zero. You shall remain in the same position that you jumped into the hole at the first place as long as there is no other force acting on you.

Answer 7

It can't happen because:

You would be killed with the heat, pressure, smacking into the sides
Air resistance would not let you get to the other side
etc

If you ignore all of the above (and probably many more reasons) you would come out feet first and looking a bit shaken!

Answer 8

What comes up must come down.. hehehehe

But I believe that because of the spinning of the earth you would get pulled into the middle and just kinda stay there. Like on a merry go round.

Answer 9

If you attempt to drill such a hole don't be at the drill when it breaks thru to the mantle. The eruption is likely to grow into a stratovolcano.

Answer 10

Illogical - can't happen - a circle (earth) doesn't have a top or bottom.