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Let's say I was able to make a really long plank of wood equal to the Earth's diameter and it was able to go through all obstacles- i.e oceans, mountains, etc. My first question:

  1. Once the plank of wood reaches the Earth's diameter in length, would both ends appear to touch although still look straight from the point of view of someone on Earth
  2. Would the wood appear curved from space?

Note: This wood stays on the Earth's surface and doesn't go up.

Julien
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1 Answers1

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I think you mean "circumference" not "diameter". The diameter goes through the earth and comes out on the other side, the circumference hugs the exterior of the earth and comes all the way around.

1.: Yes, they would touch, not only appear to touch, if you built the plank by having it hug the earth. If you built it by precisely measuring the angle between the planks that you are attaching to each other so that they are always exactly 0°, then your plank would eventually stop touching the earth and grow out into space and never reach the other end.

2.: Depending on the way you proceeded in building your plank (see above) the plank would either seem to be a circle or a straight tangent touching the earth at the point you started building the plank.

(Of course, wood couldn't stand the strain of its own weight after only a couple of hundred yards if you were to choose the 0° construction strategy - but I am assuming your "wood" is infinitely sturdy)

yippy_yay
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  • Just one thing: doesn't 0 degrees mean it would remain flat, so how would it escape the Earth? –  Mar 30 '14 at 15:00
  • @83457 Earth's surface is not flat. It looks curved from space. For the wood to remain flat, wouldn't it have to appear flat from space? Essentially, by the time your beam of wood reaches the horizon, it will be right off the ground. The horizon is a great indicator of where Earth curves away from flatness. (although it technically does this on all scales). – Jim Mar 30 '14 at 15:40