Flat Earth Theory?

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

There is a series about many conspiracies at HowStuffWorks called 'Stuff they don't want you to know'. Although the one I displayed was very far-fetched, there are some very plausible and interesting conspiracy vids in the series. I would recommend people checking out the Fluoride conspiracy.
All the videos are available on YouTube.

Ah the whole fluoride in water that old bit again.

 

[terminator363]

I suppose the only way of proving the spherical nature of the earth to these people would be to show them footage from a camera mounted on a space shuttle taking off. They'd probably still insist it was an illusion.

I call shenanigans it was a fisheye camera!

 

[TankAss95]

Ah the whole fluoride in water that old bit again.

Well maybe it's because I don't live in the US but I've never heard of it before.
Conspiracy theorists are okay, until they mention aliens, ghosts, or monsters. I don't follow that new world order crap, too.
The quantum physics conspiracy was quite interesting.

 

[ParkourVeyron]

Also, the Earth is not a sphere, if you measure from the north pole to the south pole to the north pole, then around the equator you'll notice that the Earth is bigger around longitudinally than latitudinally. The force that come from the Earth rotating "throws" the middle out slightly.

 

[Famine]

Incidentally, this:

is the straight at the Ehra-Lessien test track, most famous for being the location of the Veyron and Veyron SS world record speed runs.

This straight is 9km (5.6 miles) long and, as the word would suggest, absolutely straight. This can be verified by anyone who cares to test it (use lasers). It is also a perfectly flat, level-grade. This can also be verified by anyone who cares to test it (use ball-bearings).

However, if you stand at one end of the straight, you cannot see the other end. In fact you can't even see either end from the middle unless you're over 6 feet 6" tall. This is due to... oh, you guessed it... the curvature of the Earth.

 

[TankAss95]

Incidentally, this:



is the straight at the Ehra-Lessien test track, most famous for being the location of the Veyron and Veyron SS world record speed runs.

This straight is 9km (5.6 miles) long and, as the word would suggest, absolutely straight. This can be verified by anyone who cares to test it (use lasers). It is also a perfectly flat, level-grade. This can also be verified by anyone who cares to test it (use ball-bearings).

However, if you stand at one end of the straight, you cannot see the other end. In fact you can't even see either end from the middle unless you're over 6 feet 6" tall. This is due to... oh, you guessed it... the curvature of the Earth.

I know you'd never do it, but I'd love to see you go over to their forums and start an argument with them.
At the flat earth society forums, they have some physics descriptions that I can barely understand. It is all very convincing, but I'd love someone who knows what their talking about to go in and destroy them.
And no, I'm not kissing ass. It's just that it seems like you know your stuff.

 

[shmogt]

Incidentally, this:



is the straight at the Ehra-Lessien test track, most famous for being the location of the Veyron and Veyron SS world record speed runs.

This straight is 9km (5.6 miles) long and, as the word would suggest, absolutely straight. This can be verified by anyone who cares to test it (use lasers). It is also a perfectly flat, level-grade. This can also be verified by anyone who cares to test it (use ball-bearings).

However, if you stand at one end of the straight, you cannot see the other end. In fact you can't even see either end from the middle unless you're over 6 feet 6" tall. This is due to... oh, you guessed it... the curvature of the Earth.

Wait I don't get it. It's perfectly straight by laser, but also not straight due to the curve of the earth?

 

[Famine]

Aim a laser at a target and it will be straight, without any lateral deviation. It's the flat and curved vertically that should confuse - well, it should confuse Flat Earthers.

Incidentally, this:

is the Humber Bridge. It was, for 16 years, the longest suspension-span bridge in the world, with a central span of 1.4km (0.88 miles). It is also straight - though not quite level. The important part are the two suspension towers. Each is 155 metres (510 ft) tall, tapering from a 20ft square box at the bottom to a 15ftish rectangle at the top. Each is absolutely vertical and, again, this can be verified with lasers. However, they are 3.6cm (1.4 inches) further apart at the top than they are at the bottom. This is due to... Yup.

 

[TankAss95]

Aim a laser at a target and it will be straight, without any lateral deviation. It's the flat and curved vertically that should confuse - well, it should confuse Flat Earthers.

Incidentally, this:



is the Humber Bridge. It was, for 16 years, the longest suspension-span bridge in the world, with a central span of 1.4km (0.88 miles). It is also straight - though not quite level. The important part are the two suspension towers. Each is 155 metres (510 ft) tall, tapering from a 20ft square box at the bottom to a 15ftish rectangle at the top. Each is absolutely vertical and, again, this can be verified with lasers. However, they are 3.6cm (1.4 inches) further apart at the top than they are at the bottom. This is due to... Yup.

Over there they say it's all an illusion due to bending light or something like that...
They also say that navigation is confusing: you just keep going around in circles on their flat map.

 

[Famine]

They're welcome to demonstrate this light bending. Unless they think the Ehra-Lessien test track and the Humber Bridge are centres of mass large enough to curve space-time and cause gravitational lensing (which is idiotic - and also something they don't believe in), I can prove that lasers don't bend in 9km of the Earth's atmosphere by pointing a laser at a light sensor.

Incidentally some highways in the mid-west US are longer and "straighter" than Ehra-Lessien. This means that, unfortunately, to account of the curvature of the Earth at latitude, they have to curve south-to-north - if they were built die-straight, they'd miss the town at the end...

 

[PeterJB]

Also, the Earth is not a sphere, if you measure from the north pole to the south pole to the north pole, then around the equator you'll notice that the Earth is bigger around longitudinally than latitudinally. The force that come from the Earth rotating "throws" the middle out slightly.

Correct, it's an oblate spheroid. This shape is quite pronounced in Jupiter and Saturn as they spin so quickly. There isn't a single object in the solar system that it perfectly spherical or with a perfectly circular orbit.

From the BBC link of the opening post of this thread, it seems like some of these people may not truly believe this, but are simply using it as a form of rebellion against society listening to and accepting scientists explanations without question.

Just a thought.

 

[TankAss95]

From the BBC link of the opening post of this thread, it seems like some of these people may not truly believe this, but are simply using it as a form of rebellion against society listening to and accepting scientists explanations without question.

Just a thought.

I agree. I don't think that most of the flat earth society actually believe in their claims. It's probably for attention, achieving a misplaced feeling of self importance, or to make a point.
We get told stuff about the world we live in by scientists and the government while we rarely question these 'facts'. If they wanted to, the government could hide information from us or even tell lies. Who exactly is going to try to prove them wrong?
Quantum physics tell us that we may be able to change future outcomes by our thoughts alone. Maybe there is something more to all this.

Maybe I'm just talking crap.

 

[Exorcet]

We get told stuff about the world we live in by scientists and the government while we rarely question these 'facts'.

Anyone is free to check anything at any time.

 

[Solid Lifters]

The fact I've placed bullets on a target accurately over a mile away proves to me the Earth is round. I had to calculate the curvature of the Earth in order to get the bullets on target.

Fin.

 

[Grayfox]

Next we will hear how we live in a cuboid world.

I didn't know minecraft was based apon fact.

 

[niky]

Magnets, man... it's all done with magnets...

 

[Grayfox]

The fact I've placed bullets on a target accurately over a mile away proves to me the Earth is round. I had to calculate the curvature of the Earth in order to get the bullets on target.

Fin.

At one mile?


Then you would have had to predict wind, gravity, rotation of earth, temperature and humidity as well if you still hit the point you were aiming at that would place you into the elite US marine sniper range.

 

[Grand Prix]

Rotation of Earth wouldn't matter I think, much like throwing a ball in a moving train car. The ball is still moving at the same speed relative to you.

 

[Solid Lifters]

At one mile?


Then you would have had to predict wind, gravity, rotation of earth, temperature and humidity as well if you still hit the point you were aiming at that would place you into the elite US marine sniper range.

In competitions, I've eaten those guys for breakfast.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Well maybe it's because I don't live in the US but I've never heard of it before.
Conspiracy theorists are okay, until they mention aliens, ghosts, or monsters. I don't follow that new world order crap, too.
The quantum physics conspiracy was quite interesting.

Aliens aren't that far fetched I think. As far as conspiracy go, I would lable this flat earth one lunacy more than conspiracy.

 

[shmogt]

Aliens aren't that far fetched I think. As far as conspiracy go, I would lable this flat earth one lunacy more than conspiracy.

I'm kinda leaning this way too. Aliens as for getting abducted or it just so happens one farmer sees a 4 mile long ship in the middle of the night, no I don't really think happened. However the universe is crazy massive we have no idea of its size so to say we are the only planet that has life seems impossible.

 

[Azuremen]

Magnets, man... it's all done with magnets...

Best post in the thread. And most relevant. And the only explanation, clearly.

 

[homeforsummer]

From the BBC link of the opening post of this thread, it seems like some of these people may not truly believe this, but are simply using it as a form of rebellion against society listening to and accepting scientists explanations without question.

Just a thought.

My issue with this is where you'd draw the line with trusting scientists. Other scientists don't believe what scientists say without question, they test the theories themselves. You have to reach a point where you say "y'know, the scientists are probably correct on this one".

 

[Villain]

Thoughts?

The way you might look at these people is probably the same way that Tic Tach looks at you.

 

[terminator363]

I've been on a plane (I've lost count the times...) and you can clearly see the earths curvature.

 

[TankAss95]

The way you might look at these people is probably the same way that Tic Tach looks at you.

I think it would be best for Tic Tach to speak for himself. It really pisses me off when people speak for others, when they are capable to speak for themselves. What exactly is the point your putting across in that post anyway?
Please keep the arguments to their relevant threads. We don't want to bring the God conversation to two threads now, do we?

And about that curvature thing, they say it has to do with bending light, or illusion stuff. If you guys want more information on the theory, scroll a bit down the page here: http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/index.php?topic=1324.0

 

[PeterJB]

My issue with this is where you'd draw the line with trusting scientists. Other scientists don't believe what scientists say without question, they test the theories themselves. You have to reach a point where you say "y'know, the scientists are probably correct on this one".

I refer to the general population who, for the most part, have a fairly basic scientific knowledge. Scientists will naturally challenge one another, and the general population will take a side, but most won't do any scientific research themselves.

And about that curvature thing, they say it has to do with bending light, or illusion stuff. If you guys want more information on the theory, scroll a bit down the page here: http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/index.php?topic=1324.0

Interesting that they would believe the theory of general relativity, talking about gravity bending light when strong enough, WHEN GRAVITY IS WHAT CAUSES HYDROSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM

 

[PeterJB]

Double post. Deleted.

 

[TankAss95]

Interesting that they would believe the theory of general relativity, talking about gravity bending light when strong enough, WHEN GRAVITY IS WHAT CAUSES HYDROSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM

Do they? I thought they made up their own laws of physics.
I have to give them credit, though. Supporting such a statement must be a very exhausting mental exercise.

 

[PeterJB]

Do they? I thought they made up their own laws of physics.
I have to give them credit, though. Supporting such a statement must be a very exhausting mental exercise.

If they are talking about bending light, then they are basically in support of gravitational lensing, one of the key features of General Relativity.