OFF TOPIC THREAD: Where derailing the thread is impossible!

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RoboBlue
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Post by RoboBlue »

KeenEmpire wrote:It's like that Asimov quote: "When people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together."
Since when is the earth not spherical?
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Post by Paramultart »

RoboBlue wrote:
KeenEmpire wrote:It's like that Asimov quote: "When people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together."
Since when is the earth not spherical?
I think he made a mistake. The Earth is spherical, but it's not a sphere.
A sphere is perfectly round and symmetrical, which the Earth is not. But it is certainly spherical in the sense that it's round.

Who ever thought the Earth was flawlessly and perfectly round is beyond me.
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Post by Lava89 »

Paramultart wrote:
I don't see anything ironic about that.
Ah, I just assumed that someone who didn't care what people thought of them wouldn't feel the need to go out of their way (in great detail) to explain to others that they don't care.
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Post by Paramultart »

Lava89 wrote: Ah, I just assumed that someone who didn't care what people thought of them wouldn't feel the need to go out of their way (in great detail) to explain to others that they don't care.
Oh right, I forgot. Well, I don't care about your observations, so there.
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Post by Grimson »

Paramultart wrote: Who ever thought the Earth was flawlessly and perfectly round is beyond me.
They teach you that way in elementary. Same as with 5 - 7 = 0. fucl liars.
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Post by guynietoren »

Well yeah. I'd imagine most celestial bodies have bulge on the equator depending on how much they spin. Just the shape it balances out to.
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Post by Grimson »

If their speed remained constant, would they eventually shrink into the shape of a disc?
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Post by guynietoren »

Hmm. It's curious to think about. I'm trying to imagine what water does in zero gravity, as that wobbles around till it finds equilibrium in all directions. But spin it to fast and it won't hold together in the middle. I don't think it would flatten out into a disk at high enough speeds before the material breaks. With that said, I imagine the surface of the disk wouldn't ever be flat.
Last edited by guynietoren on Fri Jan 27, 2012 13:24, edited 1 time in total.
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RoboBlue
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Post by RoboBlue »

Paramultart wrote:
RoboBlue wrote:
KeenEmpire wrote:It's like that Asimov quote: "When people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together."
Since when is the earth not spherical?
I think he made a mistake. The Earth is spherical, but it's not a sphere.
A sphere is perfectly round and symmetrical, which the Earth is not. But it is certainly spherical in the sense that it's round.

Who ever thought the Earth was flawlessly and perfectly round is beyond me.
An imperfect sphere is still a sphere, so the quote still makes no sense. :P
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Post by Keening_Product »

guynietoren wrote:Hmm. It's curious to think about. I'm trying to imagine what water does in zero gravity, as that wobbles around till it finds equilibrium in all directions. But spin it to fast and it won't hold together in the middle. I don't think it would flatten out into a disk at high enough speeds before the material breaks. With that said, I imagine the surface of the disk wouldn't ever be flat.
But the bonding of the water is different, and would it ever even group in a no gravity situation? I mean, if something formed in a non-gravity situation what would dictate its shape? Or would the gravity of that water be what pulls it together, if that is strong enough in all quantities?
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Post by guynietoren »

Surface tension maybe? Not sure if that has to do with density or a water molecule's ability to stick to others of it's kind.
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Post by StupidBunny »

Water does group in a sphere in zero gravity, probably due to a combination of gravity and bonding/surface tension.
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Post by Keening_Product »

StupidBunny wrote:Water does group in a sphere in zero gravity, probably due to a combination of gravity and bonding/surface tension.
That's so cool! But how would it behave in a vacuum? (Or was that video somehow in one? I couldn't play the sound.)
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Post by StupidBunny »

Wouldn't it either freeze or boil in a vacuum, depending on the temperature? I don't think water can exist as a liquid below a certain pressure.
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Post by Paramultart »

I never thought I'd see an "Off-Topic" thread get derailed so quickly.
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