If I want to see my parents, I currently have a three day trip. From New Zealand to Spain (its opposite), I inevitably take several flights with stops at airports in China or Dubai. However, 400 years ago, Isaac Newton proposed this with Robert Hooke This journey can be done in a very short time, especially in 42 minutes. Theory and practice, of course, do not always agree.
The British scientist and inventor Robert Hooke proposed the fastest way to travel between different parts of the earth in the 17th century. Although it is currently impossible to happen, it is An interesting theoretical exercise to better understand the mathematics behind the force of gravity. Welcome to the Gravity Train.
The idea behind it Gravity train There is Relatively simple. It’s about creating tunnels that connect different points on earth. Completely straight tunnels and, if possible, vacuum tunnels to avoid air friction (Hello Hyperloop) Letting gravity do its job from there is one thing, it does not even require fuel or any other type of energy to move the train.
Considering that the earth is a sphere, If an object (or train) drops down a straight tunnel, it will appear at the other end of the tunnel. The tunnel does not have to be the full diameter of the sphere / earth (at opposite ends of a point) it can be small pieces from Madrid to Berlin or Beijing.
42 minutes 12 seconds
If the mathematics of gravity is true, The material will accelerate automatically due to the gravity of the earth, That is what makes us stand on the surface. But the interesting thing about this is that the material not only accelerates automatically That too will stop.Theoretically, the object accelerates until it reaches the point closest to the center of the earth, then it starts slowly because it is no longer attracted by the gravitational force of the earth, but rather moves due to the slowdown of the previous acceleration. Slow down slowly. Technically it will slow down to 0 km / h at the end point of the tunnel because it will be the same distance from the center of the earth to the starting point of the tunnel.
The most interesting of all of these is the travel time of the gravity train. And that’s it Considering the mass and size of the earth, this time will always be the same. It takes about three-quarters of an hour and exactly 42 minutes and 12 seconds for the earth to be in the correct orbit. Again, this is a matter of the laws of gravity.
The farther you want to reach, the steeper the tunnel will be, so the faster it will be when the object falls. Otherwise, there will be less inclination, so the gravitational force will be less because it will not approach the center of the earth, thus decreasing its maximum velocity. That is why The journey always takes about 42 minutes.
With the given theory, let’s look at it with an example. Suppose there is a gravity train from my home in Auckland (New Zealand) to Valencia (Spain). Since they are opposite sides of the Earth, the tunnel will be 12,742 km long and will pass through the center of the Earth. For the first 6,371 km my train will be in free fall, accelerating non-stop until it reaches about 28,400 km / h In the center of the earth. From there, in the second half of the route its speed will start to slow down a bit and it will reach Valencia at a speed of 0km / h at the Gravity train station. Travel time? 42 minutes.
From theory to practice
Reality is not as beautiful as the theories of Robert Hooke and Isaac Newton. It is currently impossible to dig a tunnel with such dimensions And We were only able to dig a distance of 12.2 kilometers. The heat at this 12-kilometer depth was already unbearable for the excavation machines, so it is better not to guess how the Earth’s center will still be 6,000 kilometers below where it reaches 5,000 degrees Celsius.
We have set up other mines yetMore humility. From the mines Have to cross rivers like the Thames Giant Tunnel mines in China. We must not forget that Elon Musk Project To fill the underground of cities with vacuum tunnels for the hyperloop. Elon Musk actually has another plan You can travel anywhere in the world in less than an hourBut by plane.
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