# What is the point to flat earth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 31, 2017, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748 "2017-05-31T00:57:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/41 "2017-06-01T01:39:51Z")
You are surprised that the flat earther is profoundly ignorant? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/42 "2017-06-01T02:33:02Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Wait what? > Molten core is Yes … More like maybe. The core has two layers. The inner core appears to be not fluid. It is not clear whether it is solid or some other phase, like a proto-degenerate plasma. Some really interesting shit is going on down there, which has far reaching effects, but no effects that would show up in an air bubble in a tube of antifreeze (I doubt that level juice is saline). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/43 "2017-06-01T02:45:29Z")
[quote=“x-ray\_vision, post:39, topic:787748”] No, there are conspiry theorists out there that are flat earthers who pride themselves on not falling for what suckers fall for and aren’t particularly religious. Ever listen to the Joe Rogan podcast? Eddie Bravo is a seemingly intelligent guy that is a flat earther, Moon theory conspirathist, JFK conspirathist, chemtrail believer, Illuminati believer, etc. The rest of us fall for what we’re being fed. It’s pretty entertaining, though. [/QUOTE] Good point. I should have said there's two broad strains: the Bible literalists, and the full-on CTers. They may both end up at FE, but they take very different routes to get there. ---
**Author:** ![Mavic\_Chen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mavic\_Chen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavic_Chen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/44 "2017-06-01T10:54:46Z")
Instead of playing about with the level, he should have just looked out of the window to see if the Earth is spherical or not. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/45 "2017-06-01T11:21:58Z")
> [@Mavic Chen](#): > > Instead of playing about with the level, he should have just looked out of the window to see if the Earth is spherical or not. You really can’t see the curvature of the Earth from the height of an airliner. Not with the naked eye anyway. The diameter of the Earth is almost 42 million feet. An airliner cruises at about 42,000ft maximum, that’s only one thousandth of the diameter. Slight tangent, but of course the horizon is totally flat on a globe. The “curve” you see from higher up isn’t the curve of the Earth, it’s just the curve of the perimeter of the flat circular horizon: same reason that a round kitchen table has a curved edge, even though it is flat. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/46 "2017-06-01T14:26:13Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > You really can’t see the curvature of the Earth from the height of an airliner. Not with the naked eye anyway. > > The diameter of the Earth is almost 42 million feet. An airliner cruises at about 42,000ft maximum, that’s only one thousandth of the diameter. > Slight tangent, but of course the horizon is totally flat on a globe. The “curve” you see from higher up isn’t the curve of the Earth, it’s just the curve of the perimeter of the flat circular horizon: same reason that a round kitchen table has a curved edge, even though it is flat. But at 42,000 feet, we can see further than 42,000 feet … I’m not saying it’s easy to see the curvature of the Earth from altitude … but I believe we can … Not sure what the “round table” analogy means … put our eye at table level and the table top looks flat … like the Earth … ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/47 "2017-06-01T14:46:37Z")
> [@Mavic\_Chen](#): > > Instead of playing about with the level, he should have just looked out of the window to see if the Earth is spherical or not. Pretty sure I could see the curvature of the earth from Concorde’s window. Mind you, I had to wind it down and stick my head out for a proper view. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/48 "2017-06-01T15:09:23Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > …What do they hope to gain or change by proving a flat Earth? Does turtle soup become a sin?.. 🙂 Excellent. Great rhetorical question, to be saved and used in any number of situations, stupid conversations, etc. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/49 "2017-06-01T15:54:32Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > But at 42,000 feet, we can see further than 42,000 feet … I’m not saying it’s easy to see the curvature of the Earth from altitude … but I believe we can … > > Not sure what the “round table” analogy means … put our eye at table level and the table top looks flat … like the Earth … It’s pretty marginal at that height. You can convince yourself you’re seeing it. You can also convince yourself you’re not. When it comes to “evidence” gathering by CTers and cranks, that’s too ambiguous for them or the rest of us to rely on. I have been to 50,000 feet exactly once for about 30 seconds. I’ve spent many, many hours at 42,000 in various conditions of sky and cloud and haze and day or night. IME/IMO the difference between 42,000 and 50 is significant. At 50 the sky above is much darker and the horizon has a very distinct band of brown at the bottom, then light blue shading to dark blue, and not black, but a very late twilight deep blue above. The appearance of curvature changes, at least for me, from maybe 50/50 yes/no to more like 65/35. IOW I don’t recall that it was utterly unequivocal, but it was strongly more likely than not. I went up there specifically looking for the color and the curve, knowing it was probably a nearly once in a lifetime opportunity. So I was paying careful attention to what I saw. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/50 "2017-06-01T16:51:12Z")
At any height, from earthworm-level to the Moon or beyond, the horizon will form a perfect circle (assuming a perfectly spherical Earth). What changes is the angular size of that circle. From ground level, the circle is 180º across. From the Moon, it’s only a couple of degrees across. At any height in between, it’ll be somewhere in between those. How high you would have to be, then, to “see the curvature of the Earth” depends on how small a deviation from 180º you’re able to discern. 42,000 feet or 50,000 feet is either one probably not enough. On the other hand, at 50,000 feet you’ll definitely see some difference from being above so much of the atmosphere. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/51 "2017-06-01T17:55:44Z")
As long as we are discussing this, you do not need to climb to a great height to see ships disappear over the horizon due to curvature of the Earth. Not sure how various conspiracy theorists explain that one. [Here](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Flammarion.jpg) is a good artist’s depiction of what a flat earth is supposed to look like. As for these conspiracy theorists, I suspect they are just 100% flim-flam artists who enrich themselves in various ways (selling books and so forth). Not exactly a new phenomenon, but unfortunately one which is not sufficiently roundly condemned. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/52 "2017-06-01T18:15:25Z")
I just thought of a test where the flat earthers can prove themselves beyond shadow of doubt. (prove themselves wrong) Water is inherently flat and level. The ocean is naturally a flat level place. Yes, there are waves and tides, but being water the ocean is always attempting to put it self flat, it does not have 500 foot tall piles of water laying about, no mountainous outcroppings of H2O, no matter the disturbance the water is always seeking to come back to a nice flat resting state. So with that in mind, we should be able to infinitely plot a relative elevation from point A to any point across the ocean until we hit the edge of the earth correct? Factoring in waves tides storms etc, our point should always be at a given average height above the water? So, if we fix a laser to a verifiably leveled platform on the shore. I sturdy platform that can not move, and can be rechecked for level at any time it is doubted. And we aim this so it is an average of 12 feet above sea level. The laser beam, if the earth is flat, should be found the same average distance above the water at 30 miles, 50 miles, 90 miles, 300 miles, 1000 miles. Given that laser light does not bend, not under natural earthly circumstances, if the earth is flat, this should be 100% true. But, if the earth is a ball, at only 90 miles we should find we are now noticeably up above the water, at 1000 miles there should be no debate about our elevation. By the time we get to Honolulu the fall would kill us? There ya go flat earth dudes, get to it, prove we are living on a pizza pan ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/53 "2017-06-01T18:30:03Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > This guy was off-base in trying to do this experiment with a level, but it could be done with a gyroscope. If you placed accelerometers on each end of the level, and calculated relative positional changes through the trip, would you see the calculated level invert after flying halfway around the world? ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/54 "2017-06-01T19:03:23Z")
The thought that the earth is flat is so ridiculous. If it was, then it would always tip off the giant turtle. ---
**Author:** ![bikerdruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@bikerdruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bikerdruid)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/55 "2017-06-01T19:08:47Z")
It is just a silly thing for silly people to argue about. The very thought that the Earth is flat is ridiculous beyond belief. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/56 "2017-06-01T19:11:55Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > I just thought of a test where the flat earthers can prove themselves beyond shadow of doubt. > (prove themselves wrong) There are many such tests: The flat-earth theory does not explain the behavior of [a Foucault pendulum.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum) It also does not explain the behavior of a fully-gimbaled gyroscope. If we were on a flat earth, a gyroscope oriented vertically would behave the same way at all locations on the surface of flat-earth, but it behaves differently at different points on the real earth (at a pole it will remain vertical indefinitely, but at the equator it will appear to do a complete flip every 24 hours). The flat-earth theory doesn’t explain global circumnavigation, [or the existence of a south pole:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_flat_Earth_societies#International_Flat_Earth_Society) > [@Wikipedia](#): > > The Flat Earth Society’s most recent world model is that humanity lives on a disc, with the North Pole at its center and a 150-foot (45 m) high wall of ice, Antarctica, at the outer edge. > [@DPRK](#): > > As long as we are discussing this, you do not need to climb to a great height to see ships disappear over the horizon due to curvature of the Earth. Indeed, if you’re on a ship, you can watch as cities on the shore appear to “sink” into the water as you move away from shore. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/57 "2017-06-01T19:29:00Z")
Hmm. I read that the Earth is a flat disc with an ice wall at the peripheral edge that we call “Antarctica”, which rises 200+ feet out of the sea at 78°S and disappears outward in a haze of fog and mist. This means that the circumference of the earth-disc at its outer edge must be over 63,300 miles; a circumnavigation of the southern sea, from/to South Georgia Island should take nearly three times as long as an equatorial circumnavigation. This some does not seem quite right. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/58 "2017-06-01T19:36:13Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Indeed, if you’re on a ship, you can watch as cities on the shore appear to “sink” into the water as you move away from shore. They explain this as a matter of perspective. Things only _appear_ to sink below the horizon because they just get smaller and smaller. Perhaps they can gin up some story about how atmospheric refraction accounts for the horizon effect. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/59 "2017-06-01T19:44:51Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > There are many such tests: Yes but what better than a simple test thought up by an idiot (scientifically) to be carried out by idiots (literally) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bones\_Daley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@Bones\_Daley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bones_Daley)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748/60 "2017-06-01T20:16:56Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > . > > The laser beam, if the earth is flat, should be found the same average distance above the water at 30 miles, 50 miles, 90 miles, 300 miles, 1000 miles. Good luck finding a portable laser beam that will stay parallel and visible over 1000 miles. There is a far easier experiment which could be carried out, if anybody felt the necessity to do so, which doesn’t involve farting around with laser beams. Over a measured straight mile, you erect 3 posts, one at each end and one in the middle. Using a mile long water level, you mark the level on all three posts. At each datum you tap in a nail. Using a surveyor’s theodolite, or even a pair of binoculars, you ascertain if all three nails are in the same horizontal plane. If they are, then the earth is proved flat. If the center nail is higher , then the earth is round. If my memory serves me right, the center nail should measure something like three inches higher than the two end nails. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748.md?page=4)