Hole in the earth

[Potatoman]

If i could dig a hole exaclty thru the centre of the earth, straight thru the core, surely i would come out the other end feet first? Why wouldnt i feel upside down?

[Chillum]

lovely question.

[EssJay1]

Are you sure you wouldn't turn round at the centre? Like a magnet flips when like poles are put together. Doesn't gravity attract to the centre of the Earth? I'll bet there's a really clever scientist/physicist out there who knows...(Maybe even just an ordinary one!)

[oneota]

Well, I'd say it depends on how you were to dig:  mole-style or shovel-in-hand-while standing.  Assuming that you chose the latter, I see no reason to think you would come out standing on your feet.  What makes you think you would?  Try it with a doll or toy soldier and a sphere (rubber ball with two holes if you have one).  Why would the earth work any differently?

[Phantaxus]

The centre of the earth is the only place on the planet with no gravity. so you should come to rest in the centre of the earth and stay there.

[EssJay1]

Phantaxus - is that regardless of speed? (Clearly you're able to withstand the temperature) So if the hole was already there and you accidently dropped in, reached terminal velocity, would you just stop at the centre? I know this is changing the original question and it's purely hypothetical...

[Cloned]

I had to do this for a physic exam about a week ago, funny enough. The answer is that as the other person said, (sorry can't remember your name!) you would float in the centre. They only way you could then continue is i u work aganist gravity and in theory you would have to dig upwards because u are now digging up. Think of it as if u were underground digging up. which would be difficult because u just dug the ground beneath your feet. hope this helps.

[landie]

You wouldn't get very far before yo got your wellies burned.

[Bert]

If we ignore air resistance, if you dropped into a hole going through the centre of the Earth, you would not come to a stop and float in the middle, you would oscillate from one end to the other with a Simple Harmonic Motion.  You would not revolve at the centre, so, if you dropped in feet first, you would (almost) come out the other end feet first, and you would feel upside down.  In fact, you would feel upside down once you passed the centre of the Earth.

[BoroughGal]

I'm no brainbox on science matters, but I once read about a similar scenario to this - asking what would happen if you threw a ball into a tunnel that went through the centre of the earth and out the other side.  It said that momentum would make it come out the other side, until such a point gravity sent it back down the hole again and back to the other side, but not getting as far everytime, until it ended up, montionless in the centre of the earth.

Well, it interested me!!