A scenario often presented to introductory physics classes is that of a "gravity tunnel" — a tube drilled from one side of the Earth to the other through the planet's center. The answer taught for nearly a half-century for how long a fall through such a hole would take was about 42 minutes and 12 seconds. read more
The 2012 version of the movie Total Recall replaces the drama of traveling to Mars with an elevator through the center of the Earth, which is the only safe way to travel between Earth's remaining two cities. read more
In other words, as long as you are falling though some hole in the earth, it will take the same amount of time to fall. Let’s investigate this seemingly paradoxical statement. Let’s assume that we have a hole that leads straight through the center of the Earth and is large enough to comfortably accommodate you while flailing your arms. read more
If one went right through the center of the planet, pole to pole for example, it would take just 38 minutes, reflecting the greater gravitational pull towards the center. On the other hand, 42 minutes remains a good estimate of the time required to get between two close points. read more
The answer taught for nearly a half-century for how long a fall through such a hole would take was about 42 minutes and 12 seconds. The solution to this problem depends on the strength of Earth's gravitational pull, which in turn is based on its mass. read more