What would happen....

[We Never Know]

I was asked a question today. I didn't have an answer but several thoughts. So I ask the same question...

What would happen if you bored a hole straight through earth and threw something indestructible in?

Some of my thoughts were...
-go all the way through, to the other side, shoot up into the air, then slam back to earth.

-it would just ease out the other side
(once past the center it would be falling up)

-gravity would keep it in the middle.

Your answers ?????

 

[The Hammer]

You'd hit the center of earth and the gravitic and electromagnetic center would crush you and/or fry to death in the immense heat.

 

[We Never Know]

You'd hit the center of earth and the gravitic and electromagnetic center would crush you and/or fry to death in the immense heat.

I assume you mean enter/pass through when you say "hit"

 

[We Never Know]

You'd hit the center of earth and the gravitic and electromagnetic center would crush you and/or fry to death in the immense heat.

I edited the post since the obvious answer would be "a person would die".

 

[The Hammer]

I assume you mean enter/pass through when you say "hit"

Yeah, I meant "hit the central point" essentially.

 

[The Hammer]

I was asked a question today. I didn't have an answer but several thoughts. So I ask the same question...

What would happen if you bored a hole straight through earth and threw something indestructible in?

Some of my thoughts were...
-go all the way through, to the other side, shoot up into the air, then slam back to earth.

-it would just ease out the other side
(once past the center it would be falling up)

-gravity would keep it in the middle.

Your answers ?????

"Just getting to the center of the Earth and surviving is impossible. The Earth's core is about 9,000°F—as hot as the sun's surface—and would instantly roast anyone who found himself there. Then there's the pressure, which can reach roughly three million times that on the Earth's surface and would crush you."

FYI: If I Fell Through Earth, What Would Happen In The Center?

 

[We Never Know]

"Just getting to the center of the Earth and surviving is impossible. The Earth's core is about 9,000°F—as hot as the sun's surface—and would instantly roast anyone who found himself there. Then there's the pressure, which can reach roughly three million times that on the Earth's surface and would crush you."

FYI: If I Fell Through Earth, What Would Happen In The Center?

See post #4.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

People!

and threw something indestructible in?

What part of INDESTRUCTIBLE do you not get?

 

[We Never Know]

People!



What part of INDESTRUCTIBLE do you not get?

You lost me?

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Your OP...

What would happen if you bored a hole straight through earth and threw something indestructible in?

Yeah, it's fun to argue about what the pressure/temperature would do to a person...but that isn't what you asked...

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Now I understand...you changed the OP!

I am abashed...

 

[Polymath257]

If you could dig a hole directly through the Earth, support the sides of the hole from *melting* when close to the center, and if you could find something indestructible to drop down the hole, that thing would not get vary far into the hole because of the rotation of the Earth. Whatever you dropped would have angular momentum because of the rotation and, as it dropped, that angular momentum would be conserved, so it would try to rotate faster as it fell, eventually colliding with the sides of the hole.

The exception would be if you dug from the north pole to the south pole, in which case the initial angular momentum would be zero. If you also removed all the air from the hole, the thing you dropped in would go through the Earth, whiz past the center, slow down until it appears on the other side, stop briefly, fall back in, and repeat. A complete cycle from one pole to the other and back would last about 68 minutes.

 

[fantome profane]

I was asked a question today. I didn't have an answer but several thoughts. So I ask the same question...

What would happen if you bored a hole straight through earth and threw something indestructible in?

Some of my thoughts were...
-go all the way through, to the other side, shoot up into the air, then slam back to earth.

-it would just ease out the other side
(once past the center it would be falling up)

-gravity would keep it in the middle.

Your answers ?????

Assuming there were no obstructions I think it would be like a pendulum. It would pass through the centre and continue towards the opposite side. Air resistance would have slowed it to some degree so it would not reach the same relative height. Gravity would overtake it and bring it back down and trough again. Each time the distance would be slightly less, and eventually the object would settle at the centre.

At least that is what I think. I could be wrong.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

you could dig a hole directly through the Earth, support the sides of the hole from *melting* when close to the center, and if you could find something indestructible to drop down the hole

Boooo! All that real stuff is a bore and in the way of what would happen, lmao.
Like this article I read about what would happen if a black hole formed in the center of the Earth. Not at all likely to happen, sure, but it's great sci-fi material. Much like that trip through the Earth. Why should that not be a prison?

 

[Valjean]

You'd get a mini-volcano as soon as you pierced the crust -- which isn't that thick.

 

[The Hammer]

See post #4.

Yes, but I wanted to post the science as well, for the curious.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Yeah, the uh…gravity-thingy.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I was asked a question today. I didn't have an answer but several thoughts. So I ask the same question...

What would happen if you bored a hole straight through earth and threw something indestructible in?

Some of my thoughts were...
-go all the way through, to the other side, shoot up into the air, then slam back to earth.

-it would just ease out the other side
(once past the center it would be falling up)

-gravity would keep it in the middle.

Your answers ?????

More details are needed. If you could somehow keep the tube sealed from everything it passed through, and had a vacuum in it too then since you used the word "throw" it would ideally show up on the other side of the Earth with the energy that you threw it.

By the way, it is even worse. You would also have to make your hole pole to pole since if you did it anywhere else it would continually hit the side of the tube due to the rotation of the Earth. If it was not a vacuum air resistance would slow it and the rock would never quite reach the center of the Earth.

Now, let's go back to the vacuum tube. And we extend the tube to space. Low Earth Orbit altitude. You drop a rock down the tube at the same time another rock in a perfectly circular orbit goes zipping by. Also the Earth's density is constant all the way through. Which rock gets to the other side of the Earth first? The one in orbit and moving at about 4.76 miles per second or the rock that starts at zero but speeds up as it falls (and slows down again on the other side)?

 

[Aupmanyav]

It will in any case collide with the walls of the hole, pole to pole is not vertical because earth in inclined on its axis. And even if the hole is made on the axis, the rotation of earth on its axis and around the sun will make the indestructible thing collide with the wall. @Polymath257 will calculate the results for you. Don't throw it with such force that it goes into space after emerging from the other side.

 

[Polymath257]

It will in any case collide with the walls of the hole, pole to pole is not vertical because earth in inclined on its axis. And even if the hole is made on the axis, the rotation of earth on its axis and around the sun will make the indestructible thing collide with the wall. @Polymath257 will calculate the results for you. Don't throw it with such force that it goes into space after emerging from the other side.

Vertical is *defined* on Earth as the direction of the combined gravitational and centrifugal forces. The tilt of the Earth relative to its orbit has nothing to do with the current discussion.