Patient Physics Professor Calmly Dismantles Flat Earthers

The flat earthers really have their work cut out for them on this one. Sometimes you've got to meet the irrationality of this world with a hearty serving of cold, hard facts. This physics professor certainly brought his A game. 

Like what you see? Follow our WhatsApp channel for more.

Author image for mattstaff mattstaff
Advertisement
  • 01
    Text - Let's say I don't believe the world is round. How can one prove the world is round to me? Pedro Teles, PhD Physics, University of Porto (2007) Updated Wed Buy a ticket to Paris. Say you arrive at Charles de Gaulle airport. Take the RER B to Gare du Nord. At Gare du Nord, switch from the RER to the metro and take line 4, direction Mairie de Montrouge. Get off at the station Réaumur- Sébastopol. You’ll now be on Boulevard Sébastopol, take a left (or a right, depending on where you exit) to
    via _
  • Advertisement
  • 02
    Text - 自 LTE 29% 9:36 And... congratulations!! You've just arrived at the Musée des Arts et Métiers 2. Go inside (don't be afraid now), go to accueil, and buy yourself a ticket (8 euros). Ask the receptionist to tell you where the Foucault's pendulum z is - it's not the original one, that one is inside the Pantheón, but this way you’ll get the chance to visit the rest of the museum, which is great! 关
    via _
  • 03
    Text - Now, how does this help? Because this pendulum was designed and built by Léon Foucault in 1851 precisely as an easy-to-build proof of Earth's rotation along its axis! It's a basic concept - the pendulum is long enough to observe the Earth's rotation along its axis 2, and the Coriolis effect z. So go there, sit, and observe the pendulum as it swings back and forth. After a few minutes you will notice that the swing of the pendulum has rotated clockwise!!!! (yep! You upvoted this Upvote 1.9
    via _
  • 04
    Text - pendulum has rotated clockwise!!!! (yep! Notice the marks on the floor around it!). If you wait long enough, and if the security guards allow you to do it, stay there for a bit longer than one day (around 1 day and 7 hours, as Paris is at a latitude of about 49 degrees north of the equator (see below), and you'll see the pendulum undergo a full rotation (360 degrees). While you're waiting, make sure to read the above links, and try to understand what is at stake.. Was this enough??
    via _
  • Advertisement
  • 05
    Text - Ok, ok, so maybe you're still sceptical. Everything is rigged and it's all a conspiracy... ok then, do this - go back to your hotel, and get some well-deserved sleep. Before you fall asleep though, make sure you book a flight to Oslo, Norway. From there contact this company 2. They will take you to the North pole. On the North pole you will need to reproduce the same experiment as the one You upvoted this Upvote 1.9k 00
    via _
  • 06
    Text - company 2. They will take you to the North pole. On the North pole you will need to reproduce the same experiment as the one you've just seen in Paris, so warn the organizers that you need to do just that. It won’t be easy of course, but it’s not impossible either! You want your proof so you have to work a bit to have it, right? So, mount your experiment, and after you do so, observe the pendulum again rotating clockwise on and on about its axis. Measure the time it takes for it to underg
    via _
  • 07
    Text - But don't lose your stamina because we are not done yet. Get a good night sleep again, but before that remember to book yet another flight, this time to São Tomé and Principe, an archipelago near the Equator. O You upvoted this
    via _
  • Advertisement
  • 08
    Text - flight, this time to São Tomé and Principe, an archipelago near the Equator. Arrive in São Tomé, and ask someone to take you to where the Equator line goes through. Again find a way to reproduce Foucault's experiment. this will probably prove to be the most difficult part of this whole experiment, but hey, you're the one asking for proof!! Now after you finish installing your Foucault's pendulum in São Tomé, observe the pendulum again. This time, the pendulum will not rotate along its swi
    via -
  • 09
    Text - How is this possible??????? What have we observed here? In fact, because we live in a spheroid which is rotating along an axis, the Coriolis force will affect the movement of the pendulum, and is responsible for the rotations you’ve just
    via -
  • 10
    Text - witnessed. This force is dependent on latitude, and so the angular speed at which you will observe the rotation obeys the following law: w = 360° * sin($)/1day where that angle there () is latitude. This explains why full rotation of Foucault's pendulum you observed in Paris took longer than a day, exactly one day at the North pole, and zero at the equator.
    via -
  • Advertisement
  • 11
    Text - Now there - you've just witnessed in full, the effect of the Earth's rotation about its axis, and proved that the Earth is round (spheroid) and that we dwell on its surface! Congrats! PS: For extra-credits, ask yourself the question: what happens in the South pole? You upvoted this Upvote 1.9k 00
    via -

Stay up to date by following us on Facebook!

Tags

physics flat earth quora smart awesome ridiculous education knowledge win
Scroll Down For The Next Article

Also From FAIL Blog

Twitter Thread: Star Wars Characters' Coffee Preferences

Twitter Thread: Star Wars Characters' Coffee Preferences

Trending Now

20+ Final straws that made employees quit or get fired on the spot: 'I would not be receiving 125 hours of pay'

20+ Final straws that made employees quit or get fired on the spot: 'I would not be receiving 125 hours of pay'

01
'You want me to resign? Well, good luck without me!': Disrespected engineer refuses to take on project during vacation, hands in resignation the day he comes back to work

'You want me to resign? Well, good luck without me!': Disrespected engineer refuses to take on project during vacation, hands in resignation the day he comes back to work

02
New employee gets forgotten after boss is fired, collects paycheck with no work to do for months: 'I'm riding the wave till it crests'

New employee gets forgotten after boss is fired, collects paycheck with no work to do for months: 'I'm riding the wave till it crests'

03
'I deleted his name': Overachieving high school student removes partner's name on group project after he refused to do any work, partner gets a failing grade

'I deleted his name': Overachieving high school student removes partner's name on group project after he refused to do any work, partner gets a failing grade

04
Manager's boss accuses him of favoritism after he adjusts employee's work hours to align with her bus schedule, manager refuses to change it back: ‘I could hear raised voices from the office’

Manager's boss accuses him of favoritism after he adjusts employee's work hours to align with her bus schedule, manager refuses to change it back: ‘I could hear raised voices from the office’

05
18-year-old creamery employee gets fired for 20-year-old manager's mistake, gives away heaps of free ice cream before leaving: ‘It was their lucky day!’

18-year-old creamery employee gets fired for 20-year-old manager's mistake, gives away heaps of free ice cream before leaving: ‘It was their lucky day!’

06
Advertisement