• Question: If i dig a hole through the Earth (from one end to another), then if i jump through it, will i fall out the other side or what? Because when i jump in it i will be falling DOWN but how could i come out the other side falling DOWN. Thats impossible.

    Asked by tanktasker to Alex, Jools, Lynz, Matt, Rika on 15 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Lyndsey Fox

      Lyndsey Fox answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      I think you would just hover in the centre of the planet if the gravitaional forces were equal in all directions.

      But as a geologist I think that it would be impossible to tunnel through the planet anyway, as the outer core is liquid and about 6000 degrees C.

      You would probably melt befor you got a quarter of the way!

    • Photo: Matthew Dickinson

      Matthew Dickinson answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      This is a great question, anyway if we could dig a hole through the earth and you jumped into it, what would more possibly happen is due to the natural force that the earth has on us you would fall through at a level of acceleration as you got closer to the centre your mass would change to be almost zero as your acceleration over come this moment you would fire to almost the other side of the earth. Now the gravitational pull pulls the opposite direction you head the other way and the cycle starts once more, this is very similar to if you attach a weight to a spring and then watch it bounce however during your journey at the end you would more than likely end up somewhere near the centre of the earth.

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