Question:
If one could drill a hole through the center of the earth,
from pole to pole. Jump down into the hole. Would the person
eventually come to a rest in the center because of the forces
of gravity?
Replies:
Yes, one would eventually come to rest at the center BUT because
of the forces of friction (with the atmosphere in the hole). If there
were no friction, you would just oscillate from pole to pole. The
force of gravity at the center is actually ZERO because there is
equal mass in all directions (equal gravitational pull in all
directions).
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