# If the world was flat, what would the horizon look like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 1999, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106 "1999-10-19T11:28:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 1999, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/21 "1999-10-20T12:11:00Z")
sunbear, we’d have gravity pretty much no matter what. It’s a function of mass, not shape. * * * “I love God! He’s so deliciously evil!” - Stewie Griffin, _Family Guy_ ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/22 "1999-10-21T05:41:00Z")
Well, if the Earth were flat, who would be living on the other side?..Would you _really_ be able to dig your way to China? * * * _I haven’t lost my mind, I have a tape backup around somewhere._ ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 1999, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/23 "1999-10-20T19:34:00Z")
## In addition to the temperature differences Ray mentioned, the density gradient due to altitude will bend the light. Refraction doesn’t need a sharp boundary. Bob the Random Expert “If we don’t have the answer, we’ll make one up.” ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 1999, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/24 "1999-10-20T19:43:00Z")
We’d have gravity, but the gravity field around a disc is a lot different than around a sphere. At the center of the disk there would be no gravity, since the mass around you would radiate away in all directions (other than the small mass equal to the thickness of the disk). As you move away from the center, what would be ‘down’ would be a direction towards the center of mass, which would be an angle that changed as you moved towards the rim. At the very rim, ‘down’ would be almost parallel to the ground. Better bring your climbing spurs. A flat disc could not hold an atmosphere of any kind. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 1999, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/25 "1999-10-20T21:17:00Z")
If we’re going to let reality intrude, any earth-sized object that started as a disk or a cylinder would very quickly collapse into a sphere through it’s own gravitational attraction. If we’re not going to let reality bother us, why would we want gravity to change on our flat earth? ## p.s. If you tried to dig to China you would eventually dig through the flat earth and fall through the hole. You would fall forever. If you don’t believe me just try it. “The departure of the church-going element had induced a more humanitarian atmosphere.” Dorothy L. Sayers _Clouds of Witness_ ---
**Author:** ![Undead\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Undead\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Undead_Dude)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/26 "1999-10-21T00:03:00Z")
Nope, you wouldn’t fall forever. You’d land on the turtle’s back. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/27 "1999-10-21T00:08:00Z")
Wouldn’t you hit an Elephant first? * * * ‘They couldn’t hit an Elephant from this dist…!’ Last words of General John Sedgwick ---
**Author:** ![Undead\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Undead\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Undead_Dude)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/28 "1999-10-21T00:31:00Z")
Nope. It’s turtles all the way down. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/29 "1999-10-21T05:11:00Z")
Yeah. We all know you couldn’t hit an Elephant from this dist…! ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/30 "1999-10-21T05:39:00Z")
::Reads post:: Yeeeeesh… And I didn’t even do that on purpose… ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106/31 "1999-10-21T07:55:00Z")
Dorothy, I don’t think we’re still getting the straight dope. I think we’ve lifted off a bit. Ray (Some prefer levity to gravity, whatever the shape of the earth.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-world-was-flat-what-would-the-horizon-look-like/4106.md?page=1)