So is rest of the earth; Youtube channel Vsauce covered this in one their videos https://youtu.be/mxhxL1LzKww?t=721
Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake (2003)
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Re: Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake (2003)
#22So is rest of the earth; Youtube channel Vsauce covered this in one their videos https://youtu.be/mxhxL1LzKww?t=721
I recall Neil deGrasse Tyson mentioning that the whole earth would be smoother than the smoothest billiards ball if scaled down. I found that surprising.
If my calculations are right, Earth's diameter is about 12000km and its highest/lowest places are about 10km, so about 0.001 If a billiard ball is about 10cm, it's highest/lowest places equivalent to earth would be 0.1mm.
Not sure what are the standards for billiard smoothness, but that seems very smooth to me.
Re: Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake (2003)
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
"So is rest of the earth" ... when taken as a whole, though. Switzerland is not flat as a pancake, for example.
From what I understood from the video, the surface irregularities a general pancake can have when stretched to dimensions of the earth would lead to 10km high feature; Given even Mt. Everest is edit: Typo
Re: Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake (2003)
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
From what I understood from the video, the surface irregularities a general pancake can have when stretched to dimensions of the earth would lead to 10km high feature; Given even Mt. Everest is edit: Typo
The peaks measure ~9km above sea level. The deepest portions of the ocean add another 3-4km.
Re: Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake (2003)
#25Re: Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake (2003)
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
I recall Neil deGrasse Tyson mentioning that the whole earth would be smoother than the smoothest billiards ball if scaled down. I found that surprising.
Wow, that scale! Thanks for posting that! If my calculations are right, Earth's diameter is about 12000km and its highest/lowest places are about 10km, so about 0.001 If a billiard ball is about 10cm, it's highest/lowest places equivalent to earth would be 0.1mm. Not sure what are the standards for billiard smoothness, but that seems very smooth to me.
edit: of course there is vigorous internet commentary about billiard ball smoothness compared to earth:
https://possiblywrong.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/is-the-earth-...
https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/10763/is-earth-...
https://billiards.colostate.edu/faq/ball/smooth/
Which mostly seem to agree that earth definitely is not as smooth as a (new) billiards ball, but there is lots of debate about the details.
Re: Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake (2003)
#27Re: Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake (2003)
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
I recall Neil deGrasse Tyson mentioning that the whole earth would be smoother than the smoothest billiards ball if scaled down. I found that surprising.
Wow, that scale! Thanks for posting that! If my calculations are right, Earth's diameter is about 12000km and its highest/lowest places are about 10km, so about 0.001 If a billiard ball is about 10cm, it's highest/lowest places equivalent to earth would be 0.1mm. Not sure what are the standards for billiard smoothness, but that seems very smooth to me.
Re: Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake (2003)
#29There are places in Kansas where you can turn 360 degrees and see not a hill, tree, structure, or any landmarks at all (other than the road). You see the curve of the earth. It looks like a golden ocean.
People romanticize this idea that Kansas is a flat nothing-land, luckily most of them also stay away. Kansas is only the 7th flattest state, even https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/flattest-st...
Re: Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake (2003)
#30In the words of my grandfather “you could stand on a tuna can and see the back of your head it’s so flat”