level question

AugustusMinimus

Chuck Stone wrote: »

How about an imaginary line between two atoms?

Any good?

*Bit out of my depth tbh - note all the ???'s*;)

Again it depends.

Is it straight in respect of 3d space or in the case that space is bent, do you want it also to be able to go through 4 dimensions which would mean that the distance may be shorter.

It's like getting a sheet of paper. Drawing two dots on it and drawing a line between the two. However, if the paper is bent, a peice of string linking the two is shorter than the line drawn with the pencil. However, to achieve this, you have to go through the third dimension. With the pencil line, you can stick with your flat world two.

I guess in end, just like velocity, straightness is all relative. Straightness is a balance between the line or curve itself and how it exits in respect to how straight or bent space is.

slade_x

jakdelad wrote: »

hmmmm
but where would we get our levels from
what point do we calibrate from,, what marker

Dont know how i didnt see this thread before

There is no absolute level. we do not define the aspect of the universe as being level, nor any feature or body of it. Level for us can be described in geometry. when making a table or constructing a building the scale of the earth makes it so "level" can be a little bit arbitrary as it can be described as a horizontal plane with a parallel to another, of which length can vary.
We do not build shelves, tables or buildings over hundreds of miles. Our roads in entirety are not level, an entire road spanning miles will vary in degree as the earths surface curves. since a level can be described as without varying in degree with respect to its plane, or alternatively no part of its surface can be higher or lower than another.
However level does not have to be that precise as building foundations or even a table top can vary in degree by even something like a hundredth thousand of a degree. defining it with that level of precision is not practical especially for most construction, so i believe the term level has more significance to subjects as scale construction or carpentry than a means to describe the structures of the universe and its matter. Its important for your home to be level so that the total structure can support the weight of floors or roofing evenly on its constituent parts and foundation. The golden gate bridge is most certaintly not level. if we cant describe nor need to describe a bridge as level whats the point of extending the term for other large scale purposes. To quote Einstein "it's all relative"

Agonist wrote: »

Perpendicular to the force of gravity?

Gravity attracts all matter in all directions. Relative to our planets gravity with respect to objects on it gravity acts perpendicular to horizontal ground (gravity doesnt pull us around the earths circumference). On an incline (hill) a car would roll down a hill (with little friction; handbrake disengaged etc). In both instances level or not the car is under the same affect of gravity. There is no real solid reference to a horizontal plane in that question. the only indicator of a differentiator being the car was pulled down the hill from lack of one. the car had higher potential with which could be pulled down from.

One could say our planet is spherical because the crust was attracted perpendicular to the force of gravity relative to its centre of mass when forming. And as most people will agree the world is not flat but spherical. Even the world isnt level :rolleyes: