http://Hello there!
I'm a middle school teacher, so I mostly work with 14 - 15 year olds.
Welcome! This is an excellent subject for study at any age, but most everything is easier for the young
.
If there's any question that you'd like to answer, please feel free to do it!
I will answer them, but please keep in mind that the answers are my own (not that of the greater FES, necessarily) and that I have a lot of practice answering them, so please let me know if you need anymore clarification.
—How do time zones work in a Flat Earth?
The same way. Time zones are completely arbitrary - we make them up and can use them on any shaped world.
—Are there four seasons in a Flat Earth?
Of course. Non uniform, but periodic, heating from the sun is the presumed cause of the seasons regardless of the conceptions of the shape of the earth, or on why - specifically - that sun heats the world in such a way as to consistently ensure seasons.
This tautology is tellingly difficult for the indoctrinated to grasp, but can be useful to muse on - If the world is flat, then everything we observe occurs on a flat earth. Nothing changes, and it is insane to think it would!
—Does the community have any technical term for the Flat Earth?
There are many terms floating about. Some refer to an infinite plane, some to a "universal accelerator" that is proposed to push the ground upwards - causing the illusion of gravity and things "falling". Others believe the earth to be a concave sphere which we live on the inside surface of. The subject itself I refer to by its most accurate description : "flat earth research".
—Do you have "slang words" derived from your theory?
This is a highly contentious subject, and most of the "slangs" that I've seen are deragatories. However, there are slangs like : atmoplane (referring to the air's measured tendency to stack on top, rather than reinforce the belief of spherical air - for which there is no scientific support.)
—If the Earth is flat, which side is the one we are on, the "correct" side? And what happens with the other side?
We're topside, lol. No one knows. There are many speculations, however humanity has only drilled down about 8 miles into the "crust" (and only that one time
). We have no idea what is down there, and that has nothing to do with the shape of the earth.
—Do you also think that the other planets are flat?
No, there are no other planets. All that stuff is star trek fiction. If it quacks likes science fiction, and you ONLY see it on tv...
—What is the most important evidence that confirms the Earth is flat?
The natural behavior of water, and the laws of hydrostatics, unchallenged for centuries to today, that establish it cannot (due to its fundamental properties) and does not curve in the sustained convex curvature the globe model requires. Water's surface is only ever flat, level, and horizontal at rest (of non miniscule quantity/surface area) and the believed sphericity of water is in no way a part of empirical science (in fact it would contradict it, and violate many laws - like these in hydrostatics for instance). EDIT: This evidence does not establish the shape of the entire earth (no one evidence, short of its rigorous/validated measurement ever could), but suggests quite strongly that it cannot be spherical when the oceans are, mostly, flat.
—How do you describe the process of day and night?
Same as the seasons - non uniform, but periodic, heating/lighting from the moving sun.
—Does Earth´s rotation exit?
No. This is a common misconception. In fact, the gyroscope was invented to convince people that the world was spherical and rotating. There is LOTs to discuss on this one - as there are many reasons we came to the wrong conclusion regarding this and incorrectly interpreted phenomena that appear to support it.
—Is gravity the same in a flat Earth as in a round Earth?
It can be. There are some flat earth researchers who still conceive of a "traditional" gravitation of some kind.
There is a LOT of confusion about gravity, and knowing the history of the term and the science regarding it is extremely valuable. Through my research I have concluded that newtonian gravity and mass exist only in mathematical equation and have no reality whatsoever. It is NOT coincidence that they annihilate one another and return to the real and measured weight they began as.
—Why is the Earth flat? (What's its origin?)
The earth appears flat. Most children think it is flat for this reason (and we know this from asking them before they have "learned better") - because it looks that way. However, the idea that people used to think the world was flat and then columbus set them straight is complete fiction/propaganda created by the 19th century fiction author of the legend of sleepy hollow and rip van winkle. There is no historical record of any culture/peoples that believed the world was flat.
If you mean, how did a flat earth come to be - then that is a mythological question. Worth asking and pursuing! But also very important to remember that like most big questions - "why are we here etc." the answers we do have are highly unsatisfying and wildly speculative at absolute best.
—Did you think the same about the Earth being flat when you were a kid?
No, you are not permitted to matriculate if you do not repeat the "inerrant facts" you learn correctly. That is how rote works.
Thanks in advance!
I look forward to any followup questions you may have! In my view, flat earth research is minimally about the shape of the world and primarily about the most important, and fundamentally neglected, questions of our age :
1: What do you know?
2: How do you know it (with certainty)?
3: How can you share what you know (and that certainty) with others?