Digging A Deep Hole - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 09:31:14 am
content: As a kid growing up in the UK I was always told that if I dug a deep enough hole I would reach Australia. Well, no, apart from the small problem of the Earth's core I would miss the target:http://www.findlatitudeandlongitude.com/antipode-map/The link gets you to two maps, move one to your present location and the other one shows where your hole will come out. In my case (near Frankfurt) I come out off the coast of New Zealand. Have a play, it's surprising how much water there is on our little planet.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 09:56:26 am
content: Sydney ends up around 500km SSW of the Azores, swimming, of course.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 10:48:04 am
content: Quote from: German_EE on April 23, 2017, 09:31:14 amHuh. We looked that up not quite 4 hours ago when my 3 year old wanted to dig a hole and my Wife told him he'd end up in China. Turns out he'd end up way off the coast of South Carolina. He didn't find that as amusing as China.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 11:20:55 am
content: I land up in the ocean near Hawaii though, a lovely place to be.

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 04:52:09 pm
content: I end up out in the ocean southwest of Perth.

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 05:12:46 pm
content: There's not a whole lot of overlap between occupied landmasses. Unless you're in parts of South America/Eastern China/Mongolia/Southeast Asia It's ocean for you! Unless you're in Northern Canada/Greenland where your reward for all of that digging is going to be...more snow and ice.Here's a neat overlaid antipodes map:(from here:https://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/118925/making-world-map-to-show-where-hole-drilled-through-centre-of-earth-starts-ends)

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 05:47:52 pm
content: I miss New Zealand by quite a way. I did think I'd end up on a small island, but it turned out my screen just needed cleaning.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 06:13:59 pm
content: Well, If I travel to Gaborone, i will just about end up within swimming distance of Hawaii, and if I go to Etosha I can choose Honolulu.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 06:52:14 pm
content: Hitting New Zealand instead of Australia from the far side of the world isn't much of a miss. Just some rounding error.

author: GeorgeOfTheJungle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 07:02:47 pm
content: I'd end up at the sea near Auckland NZ

author: hendorog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 07:15:10 pm
content: I end up in Spain near Montecorto, north west of Ronda...

author: GeorgeOfTheJungle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 07:25:12 pm
content: Quote from: hendorog on April 23, 2017, 07:15:10 pmThat's just 100 km from here, and Ronda is a very beautiful place.

author: hendorog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 07:36:36 pm
content: Quote from: GeorgeOfTheJungle on April 23, 2017, 07:25:12 pmWow, yes I just found some pictures of it. Stunning.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 07:37:24 pm
content: Quote from: German_EE on April 23, 2017, 09:31:14 amThe danger of assumptions. Nothing there said the deep hole must be radial. It didn't even say the hole must be linear. It just needs to be deep. Therefore, I can dig a very deep hole and then exit any point on the earth surface I like.Nothing inEdit - removed the half-sentence above that somehow got into my reply.

author: GeorgeOfTheJungle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 07:53:36 pm
content: Quote from: Rick Law on April 23, 2017, 07:37:24 pmLOL, yes, escape from Alcatraz!

author: apelly
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 08:30:00 pm
content: Quote from: ajb on April 23, 2017, 05:12:46 pmCool map, but why am I finding this fascinating? Clearly I have some undiagnosed issue.I once found a similar reference tool which, from memory, was about making earth sandwiches. Maybe it was inThe Last Wordat the end of a New Scientist.FWIW There is a kind of multi-geocache that requires finding caches on opposite sides of the planet. But the name for these also escapes me right now.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2017, 08:35:09 pm
content: Quote from: GeorgeOfTheJungle on April 23, 2017, 07:02:47 pmLet me know when you are coming, I'll fish you out.

author: GeorgeOfTheJungle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2017, 03:37:32 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on April 23, 2017, 08:35:09 pmThat would be amazing hahaha

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2017, 04:06:52 pm
content: We even calculated, how much time it would take to dig down a 1m x 1m hole there. At some point you need to dig upwards. And afterwards, you can just jump into the hole, and pop out on the other side. To avoid being stuck and fall forever, of course you need to jump from a chair, to get some extra speed. And jump head down, fall some 30 minutes, and do a "hop", straddle when you arrived. We ignored heat and air density for the simplicity.

author: GeorgeOfTheJungle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2017, 04:51:57 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on April 24, 2017, 04:06:52 pmBut I'd have a tiny problem with the waters of the Pacific...

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2017, 05:02:42 pm
content: It's not as good as the original but board members should watch the remake of Total Recall (Total Recall 2012) which covers the subject of travel between two holes..

author: Fgrir
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2017, 05:05:30 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on April 24, 2017, 04:06:52 pmAnd the Earth's rotation - you'd get pretty bruised from bouncing off the walls unless you are going from pole to pole.Personally though I think I'd want to stop in the center of the earth and live in zero gravity - much more interesting than anything I might find on the other side

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2017, 05:07:59 pm
content: Interesting thought experiment: If you could dig a hole straight through the center of the Earth and coming out the other side, what would happen gravitational wise if you fell in (ignoring issues of temperature, liquid outer core, etc)? Would you fall until you reached the center? at which point, if it was exactly the center you'd be suspended in mid air?EDIT: Oops, Fgrir - you beat me to it..

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2017, 05:28:13 pm
content: In theory your momentum from the fall would carry you through the core of the Earth and out the other side. Air resistance would reduce your speed though and I'm not sure about electromagnetic effects with the walls of your capsule Vs Earth's magnetic field.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2017, 07:41:31 pm
content: Air resistance would stop you from falling all the way though the earth. You'd get near the surface at the other side, then fall back again. The cycle would repeat, decaying exponentially, until you stop in the middle.

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2017, 07:52:59 pm
content: If you lived in Argentina you'd end up in China by digging that tunnel.

author: t_ryner
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2017, 02:22:22 am
content: I end up smack center of the indian ocean.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2017, 02:28:13 am
content: Quote from: t_ryner on April 25, 2017, 02:22:22 amYep same here.