What if the Earth were Hollow?

TL;DR

Falling through the Earth reveals gravity's strange journey within the planet and hypothetical scenarios of a hollow Earth.

Transcript

Flying in a 747 from one side of the earth to the exact opposite side would take about 22 hours… and while I know there's a bit of rock in the way, that's really going the long way round. So what if we did dig a hole all the way through the earth, through the center, and jumped in? Well, Michael, you probably would't make it very far - that's becau... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥺 The Coriolis effect affects falling through the Earth, leading to unexpected outcomes.
• 💯 Gravity would provide unique experiences during a journey through the Earth's core.
• 🌍 A hollow Earth concept without a magnetic field would expose the planet to solar radiation.
• 🍂 Falling things would behave normally outside a hollow Earth.
• 🪐 Gravity's influence would cancel out at the Earth's center during a journey through the planet.
• 🍂 Earth's rotation impacts the trajectory of falling objects inside the planet.
• ⏰ The Kola Superdeep borehole is the deepest humans have dug, reaching only 12km.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why would falling through the Earth result in crashing into the eastern wall?

Falling through the Earth would involve Earth's rotation being faster at the surface, causing you to crash into the eastern wall due to the varying speeds of the Earth's rotations.

Q: What would happen during a journey through the Earth's core regarding gravity?

Gravity would pull you down with a constant force until canceling out at the center, allowing for floating freely until reaching the other side of the Earth.

Q: How would a hollow Earth without a magnetic field affect the environment?

Without a magnetic field, a hollow Earth would be vulnerable to solar radiation, resulting in constant auroras due to lack of protection from the solar wind.

Q: How would falling things behave outside a hollow Earth?

Gravity outside a hollow Earth would remain constant, with falling objects accelerating at the same rate and celestial bodies following their normal orbits.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Falling through a tunnel from one side of the Earth to the other would result in crashing into the eastern wall due to the Coriolis effect and Earth's rotation.

• A journey through the Earth's core would involve unique gravity experiences, canceling out at the center and allowing floating until reaching the other side.

• The concept of a hollow Earth with a thin shell would result in no magnetic field, leading to unique experiences like constant auroras.