If the FAQs on this site represent the views of the FE crowd, they need some review because most of the FEs discount, disagree with or have disproven the points themselves.
So here's a quick skeet-shoot of the fact page.
Get on board, it's great fun...
Q: "Why do the all the world Governments say the Earth is round?"
A: It's a conspiracy
Q: "What about NASA? Don't they have photos to prove that the Earth is round?"
A: NASA is part of the conspiracy too. The photos are faked.
If every government is part of the conspiracy, who benefits? Why go to all this trouble?
Q: "Why has no-one taken a photo of the Earth that proves it is flat?"
A: The government prevents people from getting close enough to the Ice Wall to take a picture.
What rubbish, weather balloons launched from Tasmania or Greenland (or Caltech or MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, RMIT Uni. of Melb.) will quite happily do it for you.
Q: "How did NASA create these images with the computer technology available at the time?"
A: Since NASA did not send rockets into space, they instead spent the money on developing advanced computers and imaging software instead
The moon landing hoax has been so thoroughly debunked this question is lost in irrelevance.
PLEASE NOTE This means that pictures confirming the roundness or flatness of the Earth DO NOT IN THEMSELVES CONSTITUTE VALID PROOF.
Because of your hand-waving.
Q: "What is the motive behind this conspiracy?"
A: The motive is unknown although it is probably money
Money for who, from who? Paranoia is not proof
Q: "If you're not sure about the motive, why do you say there is a conspiracy?"
A: Well it's quite simple really; if the earth is in fact flat, then the governments must be lying when they say it isn't.
My girlfriend got pregnant, since we’ve never had sex, it must be a virgin birth. Hallelujah, the messiah comes again! Or she’s cheating on me. Reducto ad absurdum.
Q: "The government could not pull off the conspiracy successfully"
A: Actually, they could.
How? What is needed, who is involved, etc etc.
Q: "How are the world governments organized enough to carry out this conspiracy?"
A: They only appear to be disorganized to make the conspiracy seem implausible.
Oh man that’s not worth a rational answer.
Q: Why hasn’t this site been shut down by the government?
A: Doing so would prove that the government is hiding something.
In the world of the deluded crackpot, this one actually makes sense.
Q: No way could the government possibly guard the entire Ice Wall! It would take too many men! Millions of men!
A: Not really. You could do it with a few hundred and some basic equipment.
Where are they stationed, what equipment would they need? Almost 25000 miles to be watched by a few hundred? Do have any idea how many troops there are stationed on the border between North and South Korea? And they have people crossing the border all the time! Let’s call it 200 men, which gives them each 1500 miles to patrol. They’d want to be fit!
What about scientific research stations, the commercial runway that was just opened? Australian environment minister Peter Garret was flown to Antarctica along with a few hundred scientists, journalists and VIPs. Although they’re all ‘in on it’ I guess.
Q: Why is NASA’s space shuttle runway curved?
A: It was specially constructed by NASA to be so. After all NASA are at the heart of the conspiracy.
No, it’s the governments. All of them. Don’t contradict yourself now! NASA built a straight runway. It’s curved because it’s long.
The Earth in space
Q: "What is the circumference and diameter of the Earth?"
A: "Circumference: 78225 miles, Diameter: 24,900 miles
Q: "What about the stars, sun and moon and other planets? Are they flat too? What are they made of?"
A: The sun and moon, each 32 miles in diameter, circle Earth at a height of 3000 miles at its equator, located midway between the North Pole and the ice wall. Each functions similar to a "spotlight," with the sun radiating "hot light," the moon "cold light." As they are spotlights, they only give light out over a certain are which explains why some parts of the Earth are dark when others are light. Their apparent rising and setting are caused by optical illusions.
How do these work? Actual physical proof. Day and night could not possibly exist in your ‘model’. Think harder.
In the "accelerating upwards" model, the stars, sun and moon are also accelerating upwards.
No they’re not. We live in an espanding universe.
The stars are about as far as San Francisco is from Boston. (3100 miles)
Then why do they get bigger when seen through a telescope. Earth based telescopes? I.R, Radio frequency, X-Ray, CBR…….
Q: "Please explain sunrises/sunsets."
A: It's a perspective effect. Really, the sun is just getting farther away; it looks like it disappears because everything gets smaller and eventually disappears as it gets farther away.
But the sun doesn’t get smaller as it sets. It goes down. Down, like it would if the earth were round. Light doesn’t bend y’know. It travels in perfectly straight paths. The only thing capable of affecting its travel is gravity. Got a black hole in there somewhere?
Q: "Why are other celestial bodies round but not the Earth?"
A: The Earth is not one of the other planets. The Earth is special and unlike the other bodies in numerous ways.
Explain how.
Q: "What about satellites? How do they orbit the Earth?"
A: Since sustained spaceflight is not possible, satellites can't orbit the Earth. The signals we supposedly receive from them are either broadcast from towers or any number of possible pseudolites.
What’s a pseudolite? If it hangs above the earth, then it’s a satellite. And how come I lose reception when I take my GPS indoors? I still get phone coverage.
Q: "What's underneath the Earth?" aka "What's on the bottom?" aka "What's on the other side?"
A: This is unknown. Some believe it to be just rocks, others believe the Earth rests on the back of four elephants and a turtle.
Yeah I’ve read Terry Pratchett too.
Q: "What about gravity?"
A: The Earth is accelerating upwards at 1g (9.8m/s^2) along with every star, sun and moon in the universe. This produces the same effect as gravity.
Well it can’t be because you’ve not included the mass of the earth. When you include that we’d have more than one G. Or one G wouldn’t be one G as we know it, it’d be one G as it would be in….. ooh I’m starting to sound like you…..
The earths gravity is caused by the earths mass. If the earth had no gravity it would have no mass. That would be interesting.
Q: "Isn't this version of gravity flawed? Wouldn't planes/helicopters/paragliders crash into the Earth as the Earth rises up to them?"
A: No. By the same argument, we could ask why planes/helicopters/paragliders don't crash into the Earth as they accelerate down towards them. The reason that planes do not crash is that their wings produce lift, which, when the rate of acceleration upwards equals that of gravity's pull downwards, causes them to remain at a constant altitude.
Oh dear Lord yes, this version’s flawed. Planes do crash. And re-check your principals of lift, I think you’ll find it’s more to do with air than acceleration, y’know wing camber causing pressure differences, higher pressure moving to lower. Basic physics. Your nemesis.
The same thing happens if the Earth is moving up. The plane is accelerating upwards at the same rate as the Earth, which means the distance between them does not change. Therefore, the plane stays at the same height and does not crash.
Which means the artificial horizon in my plane (and everyone elses) would show me in a constant climb. Hasn’t happened.
Q: "Doesn't this mean we'd be traveling faster than the speed of light, which is impossible?"
A: The equations of Special Relativity prevent an object from accelerating to the speed of light. Due to this restriction, these equations prove that an object can accelerate at a constant rate forever, and never reach the speed of light. For an in depth explanation: Click here.
Special relativity means if you reach the speed of light, you require all the energy in the universe to travel. It doesn’t stop you from getting to that speed. Have you actually read this theory?
Q: "If the world was really flat, what would happen if you jump off the disc's edge?"
A: You would enter an inertial reference frame, moving at a constant velocity in the direction the Earth was moving before you jumped. The Earth would continue accelerating upwards past you at a rate of 1g, so it would appear to you that you were falling into space.
By that reasoning, if I jump up now I’ll have the entire planet slam into me at a great rate of knots. Better warn the high jump team.
Q: "If the Earth was indeed a flat disc, wouldn't the whole planet crunch up into itself and eventually transform into a ball?"
A1: If the Earth generated a gravitational field, yes, it would eventually happen, after a billion years maybe. FE assumes that the Earth does not generate a gravitational field. What we know as 'gravity' is provided by the acceleration of the earth.
FE assumes. It has no proof, it has no evidence, it has a need, so it invents. Remember phlogiston?
A2: There is a counter-mass which pulls the Earth back into a disc shape.
What it is, where is it, blah blah blah.
Q: "Why does gravity vary with altitude?"
A: The moon and stars have a slight gravitational pull.
Gravity doesn’t vary with altitude. You can leave the earths gravity well, but the earth has a gravitational effect on everything in the universe. Gravity’s strength varies with distance.
How do other planetary get away with a ‘slight’ gravitational pull? They’re massive!
Q: Follow-up to previous question: How is it that the Earth does not have a gravitational pull, but stars and the moon do?
A: This argument is a non sequitur. You might as well ask, "How is it that snakes do not have legs, but dogs and cats do?" Snakes are not dogs or cats. The Earth is not a star or the moon. It doesn't follow that each must have exactly the properties of the others, and no more.
So glo-sticks cannot produce light because they’re not light bulbs. Oh my god, it’s the glo-stick conspiracy!
Geography
Q: Do you have a map?
A: See this one, created by one of our members. There is also this map attributed to a person named Wilbur Voliva, and another by Heinrich Scherer.
Also, there is Cosmas Indicopleustes' world picture, 6 th century in the Christian Topography.
How can there be not one single definitive map of a flat earth after how ever many years? Not one whistle-blower? Not one leak? Not one Brave Man Alone?
Q: "Why doesn't water run off the Earth?"
A: There is a vast ice wall that keeps the water where it is. The ice wall is roughly 150ft high. This also explains why you can find a vast plane of ice when you travel south.
So if the earth is accelerating upwards, why isn’t the water pushed out sideways? If the earth is spinning, why isn’t the water flung off into space?
Q: "How does global warming affect the ice wall?"
A1: The Ice Wall is really a mountain range. It just happens to be covered in ice and snow.
Then don’t call it an ice wall.
A2: Global Warming doesn't happen. It and its counter-theory (Global Cooling) are effects that cancel each other out. Remember, these "greenhouse gasses" can reflect heat back out into space as well as keep it on Earth. Yes, there are recorded rises in temperature, but the only records we have go back, at most, around 150 years. This is very likely an occurrence that happens every [x>150] years, that's happened before (perhaps many times), and that the Earth has thus survived before.
Very likely? A blue car drove past me at 11.01. Therefore it is very likely a blue car will always drive past me at 11.01 Control samples, double-blinds, peer review, do you even know what research is? Prove your hypothesis. Ice core samples, atmospheric gas analysis. Ever heard of insolation?
Q: "What about tides?"
A: The tides exist due to a slight see-saw effect on the earth. As it goes back and forth, the water rushes to the side that is lower. Note, this is a very slight wobble. Remember, these wobbles are created by very minor earthquakes. They keep the tides in check. Notice that large earthquakes result in large tides or "tsunami".
So why doesn’t the East Coast have a drowning high tide, while the West Coast suddenly gets loooooong beaches? Earthquakes are very localised, how do they cause the entire disc to tilt?
Q : "Why is the North pole colder than the equator?"
A: The sun circles over the equator, thus the poles don't receive the same intensity of light.
You know, that could actually be supportive evidence.
One for you.
Q: "How do volcanic eruptions happen?"
A: The Earth is thick enough to have a core of molten lava. Once there's too much of it in too confined a space, it finds its way out, just like the water will come out of a full bottle if you squeeze it too hard
Which is almost what really happens in real life in the real world! Are we finding common ground?...
Q: "What about time zones?"
A: The sun is a spotlight which shines light on a concentrated area, so not everywhere on Earth will be lit at once. Times zones exist so that everyone's clock will be at 12:00 around the time the sun is approximately directly overhead.
Directly overhead who? Looks like we’re nowhere close after all.
Q: "What about Lunar Eclipses"
(Possible A) The moon isn't a spotlight; it glows with light from the sun, reflected off the Earth. Different parts of the Earth are more reflective than others (the seas, the polar cap, the ice wall, for example). Sometimes, the position of the sun (which is a spotlight) means that only very low-reflective or non-reflective parts of the Earth's surface are illuminated, so the moon is abnormally dark. This could potentially explain lunar phases as well.
Wait, the moon produced a cold light a paragraph ago. Now it reflects, but then it’s abnormally dark. I’d like to respond, but, you’ve lost me.
Q: "How come the travel time by air from South America to New Zealand, via the polar route, is SHORTER than the travel time going North first and then South again?"
A: (Presumed answer: The airline pilots are misled by their GPS, or are deliberately conspiring to make it appear that the flights take different times)
All of them? Man, this conspiracy is huge! Every pilot, stewardess, air traffic controller, load controller, air-side crewman, ground side crewman, check-in clerk, every passenger that has ever been on a flight, every member of every military, every shipping captain, every shipping magnate, every recreational sailor, every government, all of their staff, every scientist, every satellite technician, every subscriber to satellite tv, every space agency, every associated agency, the media, electronic equipment manufacturers, every teacher, university lecturer, museum curator, Antarctic adventurer (no! Not Shackleton!), every Antarctic research scientist and all the people who live in Greenland and New Zealand (that’d be right). Not one whistleblower? Not one leak? Not one Brave Man Alone?
Q: "How can a compass work on a Flat Earth?"
A: The magnetic field is generated in the same fashion as with the RE. Thus, the magnetic south pole is near the geographic north pole, just like on the RE. The magnetic north pole is on the underside of the Earth. The Ice Wall is not the south pole, but acts as it, as it is the furthest from the center of the earth that you can follow the magnetic field. The field is vertical in this area, accounting for the aurora australis.
The North and South pole are nowhere near eachother. You could say they’re… Polar Opposites! Guffaw!
If the North Pole is on the underside, why doesn’t my compass point straight down?
Q: "When traveling in a straight direction, you will always reach the same point on the globe from where you started. How can this happen if the world is flat?"
A: You need to have evidence for this to be true. Also, define "straight." Remember, the northern point on the compass is, under most circumstances (unless near the centre or deep in the ice wall), pointing toward the centre of the Earth. Therefore, if you follow your compass due east or due west, ending up at the same point you started from, you've just gone around the world in a circle.
We have evidence. Or were the Chinese fleets, the Dutch Fleets, the Spanish fleets and the English fleets in on it? No! Not Columbus! Wait a second, you’re American? YOU DON”T EXIST! You’re country couldn’t have been found!
Q: If you go directly south won’t you eventually fall off the edge of the Earth?
A: Yes, you will. In order to use this fact as proof you need to record a video of someone flying directly south around the world without falling off the edge. Furthermore you need to prove that your navigational equipment allows you to travel directly south without deviating.
You won’t fall off, because it you go straight down for North, then South is…. straight…. up…….. What about Steve Fossett, Richard Branson, they’ve been around the world non-stop. Oh but they’re Government agents, aren’t they? No!, Not Branson!
Q: How come when I flush my toilet in the northern hemisphere it goes counterclockwise but I have this friend in Australia and when he flushes it goes clockwise?
You're mistaken. On a round Earth, the Coriolis effect adds at most one (counter)clockwise rotation per day; fewer as you get closer to the equator. The water in your toilet/sink/bathtub/funnel spins much faster than that (probably at least once per minute, or 1440 times per day) so the additional/lost rotation from the Coriolis effect wouldn't be noticed
Probably? Not good enough. Get out there and measure the RPM. Don’t forget, Coriolis effect is caused by spinning. And no-one’s been flung off yet. Plus you’re only talking about speed here, the question was about direction. Answer the question asked. Ain’t you never been in no debate club?
As the people proposing this *theory* it’s up to you to prove it absolutely.
If you want to use the Scientic Method, and I doubt that, then we can say whatever we like to pick at your arguments, and you have to counter every single one of them. Not the other way around. We’re giving you peer review, which I think is as close as you’ll ever come to scientific legitimacy. I don’t want to take your God away, the Pope has long agreed the Earth is round (sixth century Christian maps! According to those thar be Serpents where I’m typing this!) and after meeting both Einstein and Hawking, the Pope has agreed in the big bang. So your religion is no help. Try charity work if you want to feel big and important, it’s actually productive, and you’ll be let in on the biggest secret of all. You’re not half as important as you think you are.