What Happens If You Stretch a Rope Around the Earth?

TL;DR

Stretching a rope six meters longer than Earth's circumference would result in the rope floating one meter above the surface, creating instability. If a bridge were built instead, gravity's variation from location to location would cause it to break apart, leading to chaotic destruction rather than sustained stability.

Transcript

Hey, Vsauce. Michael here. And Jake. And Kevin. And we are in Santa Monica, which of course means that the "V" in "Vsauce" will stand for the Roman numeral five, as in five questions from you guys. Our first question comes from "@notch". He didn't ask this of me in particular, but I love how non-intuitive the answer is. Assume an Earth that's perfe... Read More

Key Insights

• 🌉 Extending a rope or bridge beyond the Earth's circumference would result in instability, with the bridge eventually breaking apart due to gravity variations and external forces.
• 🧗 Amputating a limb for survival is not a practical solution, as the trauma to the body outweighs the energy gained from consuming the limb.
• 👱 The growth of head hair is determined by the duration of the anagen phase, which can last up to six years, while body hair has a shorter anagen phase.
• 😃 Eye floaters are caused by fibrals in the eye, and their visibility is due to shadows they cast on the retina.

Questions & Answers

Q: What would happen if a rope or bridge was stretched slightly beyond the circumference of the Earth?

If the rope was extended, it would float one meter above the Earth's surface due to the relationship between circumference and radius. However, a bridge structure built around the Earth would be unstable and eventually break apart into smaller pieces due to variations in gravity and external forces.

Q: Is amputating a limb to eat it a viable option for survival?

Although the idea of consuming one's own limb for survival seems logical, the trauma inflicted on the body far outweighs the energy gained from the food. It is more efficient to let the limb wither away while conserving the body's reserves of energy.

Q: Why does head hair keep growing while body hair has a shorter growth phase?

The growth of head hair is limited to around six years during the anagen phase, while body hair, such as eyebrows and eyelashes, has a shorter anagen phase. This difference may be attributed to evolutionary factors, with humans losing their thick body hair as it became unnecessary for survival.

Q: What causes eye floaters and why are they visible?

Eye floaters are made up of small fibrals that occur in the eye as a person ages. These floaters cannot be directly observed as they are within the eye's fluid. However, they cast shadows on the retina, making them visible when observing bland scenes.

Q: How much would Wikipedia weigh if all its text was printed into books?

The English-language Wikipedia contains approximately 2,345 million words. If printed at a similar density to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it would result in about 1,759 volumes weighing approximately 7,000 pounds.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Vsauce explores what would happen if a rope or bridge were stretched around the Earth and extended slightly beyond its circumference.

• The idea of amputating a limb to survive starvation in the wilderness is considered, but it is concluded that the trauma outweighs the benefits.

• The growth of hair on the head is different from body hair due to the duration of the anagen phase, which is longer for head hair.

• Eye floaters are explained as microscopic fibrals that cast a shadow on the retina, causing them to be visible.

• Vsauce calculates that printing all the text from Wikipedia into books would result in approximately 1,759 volumes weighing about 7,000 pounds.