0
$\begingroup$

So I'm debunking a flat Earth article here and I came across a false proof stating that "If the Earth was round, fluids such as water would have a convex surface that matches the roundness of the earth."
Now, I'm going to go against my common sense's words here because the debunking statement I came up with is that the Earth is so large that water just appears to be level when it is actually convex at a microscopic level, but that's probably wrong. How does water appear level even though the Earth is round? I haven't received that much education, so this may be a strange question. But can someone tell me whether that is right or wrong, please?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
1
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ It's actually convex at the macroscopic scale (on the order of hundreds of miles) rather than the microscopic scale. $\endgroup$
    – Chet Miller
    Commented May 4, 2018 at 3:48

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1
$\begingroup$

You're correct except for 'at the microscopic level.' The amount of curvature starts off at a few inches per mile and grows rapidly with distance from a given reference point. Not microscopic, but still challenging to measure.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.