[Cypher9]

The following is a comment I received on youtube from someone after I asked for an explanation how it is that the oceans curve around the Earth if the Earth is indeed a globe. This explanation appears to make sense but I'm wondering if there aren't problems with it. Perhaps someone can help me with it.

Yes there is a reason why water does not shake itself off the earth.  It's called gravity.   Every atom in existence exerts a tiny force called gravity.  It is incredibly small as an atom is incredibly small.   However,  gravity is accumulative.    This is the single most important thing that you should remember.  As atoms pull together to eventually form objects, their gravity joins together to become a single force that this objects exerts.  The bigger the accumulation of atoms and their individual forces of gravity, the more gravity you have.  It's like one person pushing a car. He may not be able to do it but 5 people, all using the same force together, will start the car moving.  The strength of each individual atom's gravity, working together, increase the strength of the object that the atom becomes. 

The earth is one big object, made up of uncountable atoms.  Each atom adds it's tiny strength of gravity to the every other atom making up the earth, until that gravity is so strong that it will attract individual objects to it.  Moreover, you, Gordon Bennett also exert the force of gravity.  It's so small that it isn't noticeable but it's there.  That's why everything in close approximation to the earth falls down toward it, towards the very centre of that gravity, the centre of the earth.

Water is a liquid.  Water is also made of H2O molecules. Each molecule  is made up of 2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 atom of oxygen.  Since water is a fluid, each molecule of water will flow, almost independent of each other.  Also, because each molecule is made up of atoms, each molecule has a gravitational force.  That causes it to be attracted to the earth itself.  Each molecule of water will flow until it has reached as close to the centre of earth's gravity as it can.  A puddle of water may seem like a single object of water but in reality it is a collection of molecules of water with the ability to flow like a liquid. 

Since, each molecule of water must get as close to the centre of the earth as possible, the centre of gravity.  It's reacting to the force of gravity.  Each molecule will flow, jostling about until it can't get any closer to that centre of gravity.  So, if the earth is round,  the centre of gravity, the very centre of the earth will cause that water of the ocean to flow until the furthest distance of each molecule of water is equidistant to the centre of the earth or closer.  Every molecule of water in the ocean must be within this circle of of gravity pulling the water to it.  It has to because water is a liquid.  That's why the very top of the ocean curves around the earth.  Their molecules won't stack on top of each other like the molecules in your body.  Water molecules flow.  Your body's molecules do not.  The water molecules will flow until it cannot get any closer to the centre of gravity

The atmosphere is the same.  Air behaves like a fluid and each individual molecule of air will flow until it can't get any closer to the earth, forming a curved atmosphere around the earth.

This is rather simplistic but basic.  I'm not sure that I can explain it any better than that.

[3DGeek]

The following is a comment I received on youtube from someone after I asked for an explanation how it is that the oceans curve around the Earth if the Earth is indeed a globe. This explanation appears to make sense but I'm wondering if there aren't problems with it. Perhaps someone can help me with it.

Yes there is a reason why water does not shake itself off the earth.  It's called gravity.   Every atom in existence exerts a tiny force called gravity.  It is incredibly small as an atom is incredibly small.   However,  gravity is accumulative.    This is the single most important thing that you should remember.  As atoms pull together to eventually form objects, their gravity joins together to become a single force that this objects exerts.  The bigger the accumulation of atoms and their individual forces of gravity, the more gravity you have.  It's like one person pushing a car. He may not be able to do it but 5 people, all using the same force together, will start the car moving.  The strength of each individual atom's gravity, working together, increase the strength of the object that the atom becomes. 

The earth is one big object, made up of uncountable atoms.  Each atom adds it's tiny strength of gravity to the every other atom making up the earth, until that gravity is so strong that it will attract individual objects to it.  Moreover, you, Gordon Bennett also exert the force of gravity.  It's so small that it isn't noticeable but it's there.  That's why everything in close approximation to the earth falls down toward it, towards the very centre of that gravity, the centre of the earth.

Water is a liquid.  Water is also made of H2O molecules. Each molecule  is made up of 2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 atom of oxygen.  Since water is a fluid, each molecule of water will flow, almost independent of each other.  Also, because each molecule is made up of atoms, each molecule has a gravitational force.  That causes it to be attracted to the earth itself.  Each molecule of water will flow until it has reached as close to the centre of earth's gravity as it can.  A puddle of water may seem like a single object of water but in reality it is a collection of molecules of water with the ability to flow like a liquid. 

Since, each molecule of water must get as close to the centre of the earth as possible, the centre of gravity.  It's reacting to the force of gravity.  Each molecule will flow, jostling about until it can't get any closer to that centre of gravity.  So, if the earth is round,  the centre of gravity, the very centre of the earth will cause that water of the ocean to flow until the furthest distance of each molecule of water is equidistant to the centre of the earth or closer.  Every molecule of water in the ocean must be within this circle of of gravity pulling the water to it.  It has to because water is a liquid.  That's why the very top of the ocean curves around the earth.  Their molecules won't stack on top of each other like the molecules in your body.  Water molecules flow.  Your body's molecules do not.  The water molecules will flow until it cannot get any closer to the centre of gravity

The atmosphere is the same.  Air behaves like a fluid and each individual molecule of air will flow until it can't get any closer to the earth, forming a curved atmosphere around the earth.

This is rather simplistic but basic.  I'm not sure that I can explain it any better than that.

The explanation you were given is (roughly) what mainstream science believes.  I'd perhaps argue with "Every atom in existence exerts a tiny force called gravity."   There are things other than atoms that have mass - and a very key part of how gravity operates is that it's a force between TWO masses.

However, it's "good enough" to answer your question.

In the majority of Flat Earther's views (I am NOT a Flat-Earther) - gravity does not exist...or maybe it exists but is only exerted by sun and moon or some such thing.

Instead they talk about "Universal acceleration" - in which the flat earth is accelerating upwards at 9.8 meters per second squared.    This is the same as the generally accepted value for "the acceleration due to gravity"...and if it were true, it would explain why apples fall from trees and so forth.

There are some minor variations on this idea - but they all fail to account for the fact that gravity is less at the equator and greater at the poles - less on tall mountains and more in deep valleys.   This idea alone cannot also explain how tides happen...and even in the variations that allow the Moon to exert a gravitational pull - they cannot explain how there are two high tides per day and not one as you'd expect.

So the FE gravitational model (or lack thereof) is one of the many ways we know that it's not true...but the actual flaws in it are a bit more subtle than meets the eye - which is how they've been getting away with false claims like this for so long.

[Cypher9]

So you think the explanation given is enough to show that because of the total size/mass of the oceans they're going to remain seemingly stationary whilst the Earth hurtles through space at breakneck speed? Is gravity really that powerful?

[rodriados]

So you think the explanation given is enough to show that because of the total size/mass of the oceans they're going to remain seemingly stationary whilst the Earth hurtles through space at breakneck speed? Is gravity really that powerful?

Well, that's where inertia comes to play. While flying, you can feel as if you were stationary high up above, even though you're not.

[Ga_x2]

So you think the explanation given is enough to show that because of the total size/mass of the oceans they're going to remain seemingly stationary whilst the Earth hurtles through space at breakneck speed? Is gravity really that powerful?

Well, that's where inertia comes to play. While flying, you can feel as if you were stationary high up above, even though you're not.

plus, there's no friction in space (it's not as your cap flying away from your head if you lean out of a speeding car.)

[Cypher9]

Well, that's where inertia comes to play. While flying, you can feel as if you were stationary high up above, even though you're not.

But isn't that an entirely different thing seeing as when we are flying we are contained by the plane. But getting back on point, how does inertia act on the oceans to hold them in place as it were, I can't quite grasp this point? You seem to be saying it's part gravity part inertia that prevents water from falling into the sky and beyond, my question still is how can a certain point in the centre of the Earth have that much influence over the elements? Obviously I'm not being very scientific here, I'm just curious to know if it's possible to get an explanation which I can understand and accept.

[Curious Squirrel]

Well, that's where inertia comes to play. While flying, you can feel as if you were stationary high up above, even though you're not.

But isn't that an entirely different thing seeing as when we are flying we are contained by the plane. But getting back on point, how does inertia act on the oceans to hold them in place as it were, I can't quite grasp this point? You seem to be saying it's part gravity part inertia that prevents water from falling into the sky and beyond, my question still is how can a certain point in the centre of the Earth have that much influence over the elements? Obviously I'm not being very scientific here, I'm just curious to know if it's possible to get an explanation which I can understand and accept.

Don't think of it as a 'certain point' within the Earth. It's ALL of Earth, and even the water underneath the surface water to a degree. Think of how when you swing a bucket or something around on the end of a string, filled with water. If you do it at a constant speed, eventually the water inside would stop appearing to move, relative to the bucket. It would reach a state of equilibrium. That's essentially the point the majority of the water on Earth is, but the force pushing outwards on the water is much greater than the force pulling it inwards. The 'acceleration' due to the Earth's spin is only about 0.2 (0.02? Can't remember right now) meters per second squared. The Earth's gravitational pull is 9.8 m/s² which is much greater. Since the water has already reached an equilibrium with the rest of the Earth, you can't see it moving from our perspective. Does that make sense?

[3DGeek]

Well, that's where inertia comes to play. While flying, you can feel as if you were stationary high up above, even though you're not.

But isn't that an entirely different thing seeing as when we are flying we are contained by the plane. But getting back on point, how does inertia act on the oceans to hold them in place as it were, I can't quite grasp this point? You seem to be saying it's part gravity part inertia that prevents water from falling into the sky and beyond, my question still is how can a certain point in the centre of the Earth have that much influence over the elements? Obviously I'm not being very scientific here, I'm just curious to know if it's possible to get an explanation which I can understand and accept.

Don't think of it as a 'certain point' within the Earth. It's ALL of Earth, and even the water underneath the surface water to a degree. Think of how when you swing a bucket or something around on the end of a string, filled with water. If you do it at a constant speed, eventually the water inside would stop appearing to move, relative to the bucket. It would reach a state of equilibrium. That's essentially the point the majority of the water on Earth is, but the force pushing outwards on the water is much greater than the force pulling it inwards. The 'acceleration' due to the Earth's spin is only about 0.2 (0.02? Can't remember right now) meters per second squared. The Earth's gravitational pull is 9.8 m/s² which is much greater. Since the water has already reached an equilibrium with the rest of the Earth, you can't see it moving from our perspective. Does that make sense?

Centrifugal force at the equator is about 0.4% of 'g' - about 0.004 m/s².   That's one of the reasons why things weigh 0.7% less at the equator than at the poles...the other reason being that the Earth isn't perfectly spherical.

[rodriados]

Well, that's where inertia comes to play. While flying, you can feel as if you were stationary high up above, even though you're not.

But isn't that an entirely different thing seeing as when we are flying we are contained by the plane. But getting back on point, how does inertia act on the oceans to hold them in place as it were, I can't quite grasp this point? You seem to be saying it's part gravity part inertia that prevents water from falling into the sky and beyond, my question still is how can a certain point in the centre of the Earth have that much influence over the elements? Obviously I'm not being very scientific here, I'm just curious to know if it's possible to get an explanation which I can understand and accept.

Well, the oceans are contained by the Earth in the same way. What's the difference?

[3DGeek]

Well, that's where inertia comes to play. While flying, you can feel as if you were stationary high up above, even though you're not.

But isn't that an entirely different thing seeing as when we are flying we are contained by the plane. But getting back on point, how does inertia act on the oceans to hold them in place as it were, I can't quite grasp this point? You seem to be saying it's part gravity part inertia that prevents water from falling into the sky and beyond, my question still is how can a certain point in the centre of the Earth have that much influence over the elements? Obviously I'm not being very scientific here, I'm just curious to know if it's possible to get an explanation which I can understand and accept.

Well, the oceans are contained by the Earth in the same way. What's the difference?

This is stupid - it's not about "containment" it's about forces.

That nice Isaac Newton guy helpfully told us all we need to know.  "An object in motion remains in motion unless acted on by an external force".   So when the Earth and all of it's Oceans are speeding along together - there is no external force that would cause them to start to move at different speeds and thereby "separate".

There are external forces on the Earth (the gravity of the sun and moon, for example) - but those act equally on the Earth and the Water...but not PERFECTLY.

Because the water nearest the moon is closer to the moon than the rest of the earth, it gets SLIGHTLY more gravitational pull - and that's what causes the tides.

But without air resistance or friction, there is no reason for the water (and the air, and you and me) to become detached.

Now - the airplane analogy is a TERRIBLE one.   If you were to sit on the wing of a plane - you'd be swept away in an instant because the force of air resistance on your body is not being counteracted by the engines of the airplane.   So the airplane carries on flying - but you get swept away to the rear.   Inside the airplane, the structure of the fuselage protects you from all of that fast moving air - so, as per Sir Isaac Newton - you and the plane carry on moving at the same speed.

There is nothing strange going on here.   That same, simple, universal law of motion applies to absolutely everything in the universe.

The argument about the tides is a VERY good one though - the water of the earth is sloshing about around our planet because of the difference between the moon's gravity on one side and the other - and also because the Earth and Moon are both spinning around a common point.   The result of this is that when the moon is overhead, the waters of the earth try very hard to rush towards the moon - but the Earth's gravity is far stronger - so instead of rushing into the sky - it merely bulges a bit in that direction.   On the opposite side of the earth, the moon's gravity is a little less - but the centrifugal force generated by the Earth and Moon orbiting each other is enough to cause a second high tide when the moon is below our feet.

This is why there are two tides each day - it is (in a sense) the waters of the earth being pulled or flung away from it.  Fortunately, gravity is high enough to prevent them from moving more than a few feet in that direction before being allowed to fall back to their normal height a few hours later.

The ideas of Flat Earth theory do not explain why there are two tides each day...which is a point you might want to consider.