Non-motoring > It was all a dream Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Crankcase Replies: 23

 It was all a dream - Crankcase
You know that kind of drifty dreamy state you get sometimes in the middle of the night? Anyway, I do, and last night I had a drifty dreamy thought that now that I'm awake, I'm not sure of the answer to.

So:

Ignore reality here, it's a thought experiment. Also assume the earth doesn't have a molten core and all that stuff.

I'm in my back garden. Assume that on the direct opposite side of the globe is the sea, and it's a thousand feet deep.

If I were to dig a hole straight down, all the way through the earth, and finally breach the bottom of that sea, would my house flood?

 It was all a dream - Timeonmyhands
No.
 It was all a dream - Netsur
Unlikely. Water would fall the centre of the earth but not rise up the other side. Gravity and pressure would take over - wouldn't they??
 It was all a dream - smokie
Better check the house insurance just in case eh!! :-)
 It was all a dream - Zero
Ask Manatee, he is digging a hole for a ground source heat pump I think,
 It was all a dream - CGNorwich
As you dig your weight would be come steadily less until you reached the centre of the earth where you would become weightless.

 It was all a dream - martin aston
Surely he would use a drill bit, not dig by hand? In that case the drill would cut through, weightless or not. He might need to use hammer action.
 It was all a dream - Runfer D'Hills
Might get a shark in your garden pond though. Depending on the size of drill bit.
 It was all a dream - Manatee
I think water would flow down the hole and after it had passed the centre the back pressure would gradually build up until when it reached the other side the pressure would be equal and it would just stay there.
Last edited by: Manatee on Sun 31 Jan 21 at 16:08
 It was all a dream - Manatee
If your house is above sea level I don't think it would flood, unless there was an overshoot before the levels adjusted.

I've never seen this question before. The "hole in the earth" question itself is an old one.

www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/H/hole-through-the-Earth_problem.html

If you message David Darling he'll probably give you his thoughts on the watery version.
Last edited by: Manatee on Sun 31 Jan 21 at 16:23
 It was all a dream - No FM2R
>>If I were to dig a hole straight down, all the way through the earth, and finally breach the bottom of that sea, would my house flood?

Yes. Assuming that there was more water in the sea than the hole could hold and considering your height above sea level. The two sides would equalise their levels (distance from the core).
 It was all a dream - Zero
The exact opposite of your house is New Zealand, the question should be "will I be flooded with Kiwis and Sheep"?

 It was all a dream - Manatee
Find your antipodal point

www.geodatos.net/en/antipodes
 It was all a dream - Robin O'Reliant
Funny that, I had a dream last night that I bought an Easy Rider style chopped Harley and it wouldn't steer round corners.

Quite realistic, I thought.
 It was all a dream - smokie
That has me well into the sea, nearest city is Portobello NZ
 It was all a dream - PeterS
>> That has me well into the sea, nearest city is Portobello NZ
>>

Is there mush room there...?
 It was all a dream - No FM2R
Huh, that has me at Yungaisi, 400 miles from Wuhan

I'm not going to dig that hole. It might not be salt water that I would have to deal with.
 It was all a dream - helicopter
Mine is Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand. Never heard of Chatham Islands before.
 It was all a dream - Mike H
>> Mine is Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand. Never heard of Chatham Islands before.
>>
I wouldn't bank on the accuracy, I leave near Salzburg in Austria and it gave me the same answer!
 It was all a dream - helicopter
The accuracy does seem a bit off!.

I live in West Sussex....only 1300 kms apart.
Last edited by: helicopter on Mon 1 Feb 21 at 10:14
 It was all a dream - CGNorwich
There is no land East of the Chatham Islands until you reach Tierra del Fuego
 It was all a dream - Manatee
I think it works OK but when it gives you the nearest named place it can be quite a long way off.

Here's an alternative. It seems to agree but doesn't do the nearest land thing.

www.antipodesmap.com/
 It was all a dream - Crankcase
Well, thanks all. Glad to have had a very firm no, a very authoritative yes, and a host of inbetweens. So that cheers me up. Always good to resolve these things.

I'm afraid I have another but I'm not sure the patience of the forum will last.
 It was all a dream - tyrednemotional
>> Well, thanks all. Glad to have had a very firm no, a very authoritative yes,
>> and a host of inbetweens. So that cheers me up. Always good to resolve these
>> things.
>>


...that's the problem with lack of empirical proof. I suggest you give it a go, and get back to us.

(The next one can wait till then)
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