Why can't we live on a flat Earth anyway?

Originally posted by Great Big Stees
OK I was successful this time. It was 4.

Is that in pints?

Originally posted by JS357
Is that in pints?

Say I do have a reputation don't I?..but no it's not pints just 4 Velocitors (a very new scientific term).

Originally posted by JS357
I know. That's why I said speed. The way I learned it, velocity includes both magnitude and direction. I didn't want to get into discussion of the rate of directional change of points on a rotating sphere vs points on a rotating disc.

if you can live on pancakes you can live on a flat earth.

Originally posted by redbadger
if you can live on pancakes you can live on a flat earth.

The closest approximation to the physical conditions on a spherical planet would probably be on a cube, living on the faces. but the atmosphere and its various layers would not simply be larger cubes, and the oceans and living conditions would be rather weird due to the distribution and orientation of gravitational attraction.

http://news.discovery.com/space/what-if-earth-was-a-cube-110815.htm

Originally posted by sonhouse
Dam round planet! I am at work and have to wait 3 frigging hours to get hold of the left coast. If we lived on a flat Earth we would all have the same time zone. Anything we can do about that?

I contest the time zone claim as this would depend on the relative orbit of the Sun in this scenario. However I can confirm that the earth is definitely flat. At least as far as the eye can see it is anyway.

Originally posted by divegeester
I contest the time zone claim as this would depend on the relative orbit of the Sun in this scenario. However I can confirm that the earth is definitely flat. At least as far as the eye can see it is anyway.

I was thinking if the disk was rotating around what we think of as the poles, the time of day would be very close everywhere, since the disk would be something like 12,000 km across, at 148 million Km (radius of Earth's orbit), X 2 X PI divide by 12,000 means from the position of the sun, from one side of the disk to the other would be an angle change of about 1.6 arc seconds, so as it spins around, the angle of sunlight hitting the disc would be essentially identical from one side of the disk to the other no matter the orientation of the disk with respect to the sun. So the time would be the same everywhere.

Originally posted by sonhouse
I was thinking if the disk was rotating around what we think of as the poles, the time of day would be very close everywhere, since the disk would be something like 12,000 km across, at 148 million Km (radius of Earth's orbit), X 2 X PI divide by 12,000 means from the position of the sun, from one side of the disk to the other would be an angle change of ab ...[text shortened]... r the orientation of the disk with respect to the sun. So the time would be the same everywhere.

Oh dear, I would have thought that living in a flat earth would be as simple as eating American pancakes with honey and butter spread all over with none of these complicated mathematical issues. 😕

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3011/what-would-it-be-like-walking-around-on-a-cube-shaped-planet

... Made of pancake?

Originally posted by JS357
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3011/what-would-it-be-like-walking-around-on-a-cube-shaped-planet

... Made of pancake?

with oxo gravy on it mmmm

Originally posted by sonhouse
I was thinking if the disk was rotating around what we think of as the poles, the time of day would be very close everywhere, since the disk would be something like 12,000 km across, at 148 million Km (radius of Earth's orbit), X 2 X PI divide by 12,000 means from the position of the sun, from one side of the disk to the other would be an angle change of ab ...[text shortened]... r the orientation of the disk with respect to the sun. So the time would be the same everywhere.

Would there be population on both sides of your disc? Then we would have still two time zones 😀

Originally posted by Ponderable
Would there be population on both sides of your disc? Then we would have still two time zones 😀

That depends on where the axis is pointing relative to the sun and whether this relationship changes during the year, no?

Originally posted by JS357
That depends on where the axis is pointing relative to the sun and whether this relationship changes during the year, no?

Two suns - one for each side - and big dimmer switch for both.
(If I was God that's what I would have done)

Originally posted by wolfgang59
Two suns - one for each side - and big dimmer switch for both.
(If I was God that's what I would have done)

How would that make for one time zone?

Originally posted by sonhouse
How would that make for one time zone?

duh! The dimmer switches for the suns are synchronised. 😛

Originally posted by wolfgang59
duh! The dimmer switches for the suns are synchronised. 😛

I think you better go back to the drawing board. A sun on one side or 2 suns, one on opposite sides of Earth will still produce the same time zones we have now because at the perifery there would be sunrise and sunsets and in the middle it would be high noon. You can't get around that on a round planet.