The sign does say “?-K” – so no one has actually measured the depth of the pit – no one has come back from this race – once you enter the pit you’ve reached the “point of No Return”?
The “runners” seemingly know that there is no coming back – and yet it seems like they are still (willingly) plunging to certain doom.
Is this like the national debt? climate change? our political divisiveness?
Won’t they just pop out in China on the other side if it really is bottomless? And they’ll all have the same time because different masses fall at the same rate…
In all seriousness, straight tubes thru the Earth (most of them at shallow angles, as for example from New York to Chicago) could be used for very rapid, very low-emission transit (assuming you could avoid the problems of, you know, lava and all). Evacuate all the air from the tube, and gravity will accelerate your passenger capsule downward for the first half of the trip and decelerate it by just the right amount for the second half. And, as we all remember from our HS geometry courses (we DO all remember that stuff, right?), a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
Imagine almost 3 years ago
Bottomless? They’ll never reach the finish line.
Doug K almost 3 years ago
The sign does say “?-K” – so no one has actually measured the depth of the pit – no one has come back from this race – once you enter the pit you’ve reached the “point of No Return”?
The “runners” seemingly know that there is no coming back – and yet it seems like they are still (willingly) plunging to certain doom.
Is this like the national debt? climate change? our political divisiveness?
Walrus Gumbo Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Shouldn’t it be called, “The Black Hole Endless Marathon”?
perryed almost 3 years ago
Yea, give me a DNF on that race.
WCraft Premium Member almost 3 years ago
AKA the race to find political unity
mwksix almost 3 years ago
Won’t they just pop out in China on the other side if it really is bottomless? And they’ll all have the same time because different masses fall at the same rate…
redback almost 3 years ago
my gravity is faster than yours (or maybe my drag force is less)
Richard S Russell Premium Member almost 3 years ago
In all seriousness, straight tubes thru the Earth (most of them at shallow angles, as for example from New York to Chicago) could be used for very rapid, very low-emission transit (assuming you could avoid the problems of, you know, lava and all). Evacuate all the air from the tube, and gravity will accelerate your passenger capsule downward for the first half of the trip and decelerate it by just the right amount for the second half. And, as we all remember from our HS geometry courses (we DO all remember that stuff, right?), a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
mfrasca almost 3 years ago
Pitfall Harry’s gonna win.