square planet

[periwinkle]

if there was a cube planet with its centre of gravity in the very middle and a person walked from the middle of one side to one of the corners would they be walking up hill

i was just wondering cos wouldn't that mean the planet wasn't square after all

help i have confused my self tnx

[tommy666]

hmm. the planet would be square, its just that it wouldnt seem square. as you get closer and closer to a corner, it would feel more and more like you were going uphill, as gravity would be pulling you not directly down, but down and to one side.draw yourself out a nice little square planet on a piece of paper, or in your head. put a dot right in the middle of the square (where gravity would pull you). now decide where you want your man to stand, or be walking. now draw a line (real or just in your head) between where the man is standing, and the centre. this is where gravity is pulling the man. now draw a line perpendicular (at a right angle) to the line you drew. this is where it would FEEL like the ground should be, if the man were to be standing on a flat area. the difference between this line and the "ground" on your square planet would make the man feel like he is walking up hill. i hope you understand my isntructions. if you do and actually draw it out, it should be very easy to understand :D.

[tommy666]

the line that you draw which is perpendicular (the one that is how the man thinks the ground should be, if the ground was flat) should be drawn at the end of the first line (the gravity line), at the end which is closest to the man.

[Gnu]

And if the planet had seas they would all be circular and in the middle of each face.

The corners of the cube wouldn't have any atmosphere either.

[Robert G]

Hm. What an interesting question? I'm still getting my head round the implications!

Like coping with weighing different amounts depending on where you were.

And adapting to variations in the flight of a ball in sports such as cricket, tennis and golf.

I guess it would also bring new meaning to the hymn: 'Let all the world in every corner sing'.

As to your specific question, periwinkle: Yes, it would feel like walking up an increasingly steep hill.

[Robert G]

And if the oceans were large enough - all six of them - they would overflow between each other until all six were equal, leaving eight identical, equidistant, 3-sided-pyramid-shaped continents.

[mindimplode]

I wonder what a solar / lunar eclipse might look like (especially if the moon was a cube too!)

[periwinkle]

tnx guys you've been really helpful i didn't even think about all that business with the circular seas