Straight line on the earth.
By DoctorDidi
@DoctorDidi (7018)
India
January 26, 2011 6:46am CST
Is it possible to draw a straight line on the intact surface of the earth? If not, why? Can you explain?
6 responses
@Mufasu (176)
• Indonesia
26 Jan 11
That could happen. But it cant be done alone, needs to cooperate to make it happen. And i think most people dont want to do it, because some of them are still concerned with personal interests.
So what can we do. the answer could be done, but it will be very very difficult.
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
26 Jan 11
The answer is it can not be done as being round the intact surface of the earth is always curved and no straight line can be drawn on a curved surface.
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
26 Jan 11
If you knew the answer already, DoctorDidi, the question is a 'poll/quiz type' one and so is in violation of the Guidelines.
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
26 Jan 11
Since the earth is a spheroid, there is theoretically no way of connecting two points on its surface with a straight line drawn on the surface. As the surface is, in fact, irregular, it would be quite possible to find some area of it on which it would be possible to draw a straight line.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
26 Jan 11
@tkonlinevn (6427)
• Vietnam
27 Jan 11
Why not? On theory, we can do that such as we draw a equatorial.
@jessmartian (111)
• United States
26 Jan 11
Even if the earth were an exact sphere, which it is not, a circle still has a series of very tiny straight lines that make up the circle. So, if you mean any length of a line, yes, it's possible, even if the earth were spherical. Now, if you mean a line around the world, it would only be straight in that it didn't curve a certain way, and only curved around the world. So, it would still be planar, but not "straight" like a pencil.
Now, because the world isn't round, it does have flat surfaces, so it would be possible to draw a straight line on that flat surface.





