Gravity Question

El Guapo!

This is something I've always wondered since I was younger but I never got an answer to. It might sound like a stupid question.
In school I was taught that gravity is a force that pulls everything towards the centre of the earth.
So I always wondered...If I somehow dug a hole straight through the earth from north to south pole (like taking the core out of an apple) and if I jumped down, what would happen?
Would I fall straight through? Would I fall till I got to the centre and then just float there? Would I be ripped apart?
And now that I think of it.....what would happen to gravity if the Earth was rolled out into a flat sheet? (I mean like opening your closed fist). If the earth was laid out flat what would happen?

exaisle

Ignoring all of the temperature issues, and the fact that gravity would continue to try and pull the earth in around you, you would hang in mid air.....half way.

If the earth was rolled out in a flat sheet, gravity would pull it back into a sphere(ish) shape again...

Fringe

If you drill a hole from one side to the other through the centre and jump down, you will oscillate between the two end points. This is neglecting friction of course.

nozzferrahhtoo

Found it. I read this some years ago and I thought it might be relevant.

http://www.damninteresting.com/the-gravity-express

SugarHigh

You would probably have to dig a cork screw shaped tunnel because of the earths slanted rotation.

Capt'n Midnight

wouldn't be as bad at the poles

Gary L

You wouldn't enjoy the magma.

stevenmu

Interesting side note: Everything exerts a gravitational pull. If you were to stand beside something large enough, say a mountain, that pull would actually be measurable. Initial measurements of the mass of the Earth were made by first measuring the gravitational pull of a large mountain on an iron ball of a known mass.

rccaulfield

stevenmu wrote: »

Interesting side note: Everything exerts a gravitational pull. If you were to stand beside something large enough, say a mountain, that pull would actually be measurable. Initial measurements of the mass of the Earth were made by first measuring the gravitational pull of a large mountain on an iron ball of a known mass.

I read that in Bill Brysons-a short history of nearly everything-amazing book! I also read recently about an early experiment with 2 lead balls suspended by quartz threads that attracted each other with a measured force(Feynman).

stevenmu

I think that's where I read it too, really good book.