tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post3403931182313202173..comments2024-03-09T05:53:59.542-05:00Comments on Oz and Ends: Round-Trip Journey to the Center of the EarthUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-39964360772000582932010-11-17T14:58:07.776-05:002010-11-17T14:58:07.776-05:00Gardner did discuss a perfectly straight tunnel th...Gardner did discuss a perfectly straight tunnel that doesn’t go through the center of the Earth, and is therefore slanted. Lewis Carroll wrote about such a thing in <i>Sylvie and Bruno</i>, offering the excuse.<br /><br />I agree that a slant would help explain how the travelers don’t fall right back into the tunnel. But it raises another issue: the travelers from the Nome King’s region fall for a long time—perhaps the whole way—without hitting the inside of the Tube. <br /><br />Gardner also notes that the travel time in a straight, frictionless tunnel through a spherical Earth would be the same whether it went through the center of the planet or at a slant. <br /><br />How many minutes would that trip take? Most curiously, the answer is 42.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-36768855221944121362010-11-17T14:32:33.305-05:002010-11-17T14:32:33.305-05:00I think the word "slanting" might provid...I think the word "slanting" might provide a clue to how the tunnel works. If it slants in relation to the earth's surface, then it doesn't go directly through the center of the earth. Gardner's explanation would not then apply. And when travelers shoot out one end or the other, the wind and earth's rotation don't matter either, since they've been shot out at an angle.ericshanowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08879686211456482942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-28485648432076477532010-11-17T11:03:27.585-05:002010-11-17T11:03:27.585-05:00I'd suggest checking into barometric pressure....I'd suggest checking into barometric pressure. If there's a high pressure system over one entrance to the tube and a low pressure system over the other, you might get slurped along at a manageable and gravity-defying speed. Then when the weather fronts change, you could get sucked through in the other direction.Greg R. Fishbonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09487395666993131341noreply@blogger.com