Debate- Earth's core

Spammer
Rep: 16



Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 21,910
OFFLINE

Is the Earth’s core tangible?

I don’t have enough time to state my opinion and argue it but I know there is going to be people from both sides on here.

Regular
Rep: 0



Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 353
OFFLINE

Explain what you mean by “tangible"

Spammer
Rep: 16



Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 21,910
OFFLINE

Able to be perceived by the sense of touch.

Guardian of MvC
Rep: 89



Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Posts: 44,549
OFFLINE

The Earth’s core is supposedly a molten liquid... so touching it would melt your hand. :P

Regular
Rep: 0



Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 353
OFFLINE

Is this a personal issue for you? Or is it just something that you are pondering on

UBER 1337 Poster
Rep: 15



Joined: 01 Feb 2007
Posts: 3,311
OFFLINE

basically yea it’s touchable

Spammer
Rep: 16



Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 21,910
OFFLINE

pondering on
my friends and i debated for an hour or so on it but I just brought it here.

is causing chaos.
Rep: 31



Joined: 04 Jul 2006
Posts: 8,152
OFFLINE

WTF?

Are you suggesting that it’s a ghost?

Guardian of MvC
Rep: 89



Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Posts: 44,549
OFFLINE

Well, you could touch the core of the planet, if you were able to get to it. It would be just like touching molten lava, you’d feel a burning sensation as your flesh melted away, then as you scream in agony your muscles would burn up leaving your organs exposed, at which time they would burn. At that point you’d die leaving your bones to melt into nothing.

Last edited 21 Jun 2007 09:12 pm by Cid

is causing chaos.
Rep: 31



Joined: 04 Jul 2006
Posts: 8,152
OFFLINE

Just like in Evangelion. Cept you’ll be dead.

Regular
Rep: 0



Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 353
OFFLINE

There is a theory that suggests the core is just gravity and pulls heat exhuastion from the outter layer of the earth

is causing chaos.
Rep: 31



Joined: 04 Jul 2006
Posts: 8,152
OFFLINE

Well there has to be something there...it can’t just be hollow...

UBER 1337 Poster
Rep: 5



Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 1,037
OFFLINE

i imagine it would have to be tangible, or we wouldnt have such a magnetic field from it surely ?

All objects, of any matter or size have a gravity level of there own, but it’s usually so tiny it cannot be measured accuratly (if at all).

For the Earth to pull a tennis ball down at the terminal veocity it can, would 'in theory' mean it has an immense solid centre, not hollow, but totally dense material (presumed Iron i think it was, cant remember now)?

Guardian of MvC
Rep: 89



Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Posts: 44,549
OFFLINE

Ahh, I remember now. The core of the planet is composed of two layers. The outer and inner core. The outer core is composed of minerals and liquid iron. The inner core is a solid chunk of iron, which is where we get our gravity.

is causing chaos.
Rep: 31



Joined: 04 Jul 2006
Posts: 8,152
OFFLINE

Actually, gravity comes from the entirety of the planet’s mass.

UBER 1337 Poster
Rep: 5



Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 1,037
OFFLINE

Yep, i agree with that, however, the molten layers may not have the same effect, but the solid iron core will have a definate effect.

Due to the molten layers movement, if they emited the same gravity as the iron core, then our gravity levels would 'in theory' fluctuate enough to unbalance our hold on the moon, and also throw our oceans out of sync.

OK, it would be a 'slow' fluctuation, but it would certainly mean that hitting a ball tomorrow in a certain place would have a different terminal velocity to hitiing it in the same place today.

Just a thought ??

Last edited 21 Jun 2007 09:49 pm by philbert

is causing chaos.
Rep: 31



Joined: 04 Jul 2006
Posts: 8,152
OFFLINE

Gravity is always constant as long as the mass is constant.

Movement of the layers wouldn’t fluctuate gravity as they are part of the entirety of the earth’s mass. The mass stays the same. The gravitation force stays the same.

Last edited 21 Jun 2007 09:56 pm by Totalitus

UBER 1337 Poster
Rep: 5



Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 1,037
OFFLINE

Hmmmm, i see. So, a dense rectangle, say for example 17000 x 500 x 500 feet in size, would emit a totally level gravity field from only the centre ?

*thinks* *considers*

Thats got me thinkin now, but its 3am, so i’ll be back tomorrow i think to see what whats been said here

A very good day/night to everybody.

is causing chaos.
Rep: 31



Joined: 04 Jul 2006
Posts: 8,152
OFFLINE

...eh?

The Earth is pretty much round...but a block of those dimensions would also have it’s gravity field point toward its center.

SAMOŠ
Rep: 34



Joined: 10 Sep 2005
Posts: 15,940
OFFLINE

k, if it was hollow what is stopping it from just collapsing on itself? (not arguing, just throwing that out there)

“The average density of Earth is 5515 kg/m3, making it the densest planet in the Solar system. Since the average density of surface material is only around 3000 kg/m3, we must conclude that denser materials exist within Earth’s core. Further evidence for the high density core comes from the study of seismology. In its earliest stages, about 4.5 billion (4.5×109) years ago, melting would have caused denser substances to sink toward the center in a process called planetary differentiation (see also the iron catastrophe), while less-dense materials would have migrated to the crust. As a result, the core is largely composed of iron (80%), along with nickel and one or more light elements, whereas other dense elements, such as lead and uranium, either are too rare to be significant or tend to bind to lighter elements and thus remain in the crust (see felsic materials)."

wikipedia >this thread. k, now i’m arguing.

Last edited 21 Jun 2007 10:56 pm by kev360