How would you measure the distance between Washington, D.C. and Beijing?

Before you illustrate your method, please try to provide a definition of distance.

This oughta be good. I don't think I heard an answer to that.

You could measure the position of the sun in the sky at the same time in both locations. This isn't possible right now since it's the winter in the northern hemisphere, but you could use another point in between them, like Hawaii. Of course, you would need to know the radius of the Earth for this to work, but that can be determined experimentally. http://astronomy.nmsu.edu/geas/lectures/lecture10/slide05.html

Very carefully.  Thanks for asking. 

Very carefully.  Thanks for asking. 

I think that he is asking for a specific answer to the method for how it is done. Just out of curiosity, according to the Flat Earth, what is this distance? What is the radius of the Earth? What is the distance from East to West of Australia? If I took a car and drove this distance, using the amount of gas projected for the round Earth Model (based on miles per gallon) what does it mean if I didn't run out of gas because it wasn't nearly 1.5 times longer than traditional maps tell me?

Distance can be a subjective thing. 

Distance can be a subjective thing.

Please elaborate on how. I have always been under the impression that physical attributes are objective things, that exist and are true regardless of testing or observation. 5 meters is always 5 meters.

Quote from: jroa on December 18, 2015, 05:09:48 PM

Distance can be a subjective thing.

Please elaborate on how. I have always been under the impression that physical attributes are objective things, that exist and are true regardless of testing or observation. 5 meters is always 5 meters.

But for some things, 5 meters might be a long way away, while others it might be really close.  So distance is subjective.

Quote from: jroa on December 18, 2015, 05:09:48 PM

Distance can be a subjective thing.

Please elaborate on how. I have always been under the impression that physical attributes are objective things, that exist and are true regardless of testing or observation. 5 meters is always 5 meters.

You are not close to me.  That is an observation that is not objective.  Please, measure my statement. 

Quote from: TheGreatGray on December 18, 2015, 05:15:08 PM

Quote from: jroa on December 18, 2015, 05:09:48 PM

Distance can be a subjective thing.

Please elaborate on how. I have always been under the impression that physical attributes are objective things, that exist and are true regardless of testing or observation. 5 meters is always 5 meters.

You are not close to me.  That is an observation that is not subjective.  Please, measure my statement.

It depends on what time in pounds is the length of the spaghetti sauce, but you should be able to measure it last year on the 40th.

Exactly.

Quote from: TheGreatGray on December 18, 2015, 05:15:08 PM

Quote from: jroa on December 18, 2015, 05:09:48 PM

Distance can be a subjective thing.

Please elaborate on how. I have always been under the impression that physical attributes are objective things, that exist and are true regardless of testing or observation. 5 meters is always 5 meters.

You are not close to me.  That is an observation that is not objective.  Please, measure my statement.

There are two types of descriptions. Qualitative (Traits that are observed and subjective.) and quantitative (Objective, numerical truths). Yours is qualitative. I can also say you are close to me, relative to my distance to the sun

He is referring to a quantitative description. A quantitative description would not say whether the distance is big or small, only what that distance is. What distance, in miles or kilometers, is between Beijing and Washington DC?

We've been over this, jroa. "You are 5 meters away from me" is an observation. "You are close to me" is an interpretation of that observation. Besides, this is off topic and has nothing to do with measuring the distance between two cities.

People are so mad and angry.  Why are you so mad and angry? 

It depends on what time in pounds is the length of the spaghetti sauce, but you should be able to measure it last year on the 40th.

I am a little curious.  Is someone suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder (again)?  Forgive me if I am wrong.

http://www.distancefromto.net/
11158.08 km == 6933.31 miles === 6024.88 nautical miles
A nautical mile (symbol M, NM or nmi) is a unit of distance, set by international agreement as being exactly 1,852 meters (about 6,076 feet).

The metre, American spelling meter, (from the Greek noun μέτρον, "measure") is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). The SI unit symbol is m.[1] The metre is defined as the distance travelled by light in a specific fraction – about one three-hundred millionth – of a second.[2]

The metre was originally defined in 1793 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole. In 1889,

 it was redefined in terms of a prototype metre bar (the actual bar used was subsequently changed twice). In 1960, the metre was redefined in terms of a certain number of wavelengths of a certain emission line of krypton-86. In 1983, the current definition was adopted. In 1959, the imperial inch was re-defined as 0.0254 metres (2.54 centimetres or 25.4 millimetres). One metre is about 3 3⁄8 inches longer than a yard, i.e. about 39 3⁄8 inches.

People are so mad and angry.  Why are you so mad and angry? 

Because, they have read your commentary to the point where you automatically induce an anger response upon showing up in their forum.

Before you illustrate your method, please try to provide a definition of distance.

On any "smooth" sufrace you measure the distance by finding a geodesic curve. Then the distance is the length of the geodesic.

On a sphere geodesics are arcs of the unique great circle passing through two given point.

On a flat surface - unique segment whose ends are given points.

People are so mad and angry.  Why are you so mad and angry? 

Derailing again. What does this have to do with the OP?

Distance is subjective? What?
Is time also subjective?

So, if my boss tells me, he need this paper done within the next 4 hours, I can give him the papers next week and say, time is subjective?

There are two types of descriptions. Qualitative (Traits that are observed and subjective.) and quantitative (Objective, numerical truths). Yours is qualitative. I can also say you are close to me, relative to my distance to the sun

He is referring to a quantitative description. A quantitative description would not say whether the distance is big or small, only what that distance is. What distance, in miles or kilometers, is between Beijing and Washington DC?

This is by far the best description of the subject, well, rather the derailing comment about "distance being subjective".

Quote from: TheGreatGray on December 18, 2015, 05:39:57 PM

There are two types of descriptions. Qualitative (Traits that are observed and subjective.) and quantitative (Objective, numerical truths). Yours is qualitative. I can also say you are close to me, relative to my distance to the sun

He is referring to a quantitative description. A quantitative description would not say whether the distance is big or small, only what that distance is. What distance, in miles or kilometers, is between Beijing and Washington DC?

This is by far the best description of the subject, well, rather the derailing comment about "distance being subjective".

Thank You. You can look at the thread I created to see a thread he managed to completely derail. I didn't want to let it happen here.

To put it simply, answer the question, or admit you can't. If the Earth were flat, this would be an easy question to answer, seeing as planes have to fly from Washington DC to Beijing all the time (They are both major cities and national capitals). You should easily be able to tell me how to find distance between any to points and what that distance is. If you can't, then it only makes sense to believe the Earth is a sphere, because we know the measurements, how to make these measurements, and a pilot could test these themself to prove their accuracy.

Quote from: jroa on December 18, 2015, 06:00:17 PM

People are so mad and angry.  Why are you so mad and angry? 

Because, they have read your commentary to the point where you automatically induce an anger response upon showing up in their forum.

Their forum?  I am sorry, but perhaps you and these people you refer to missed the fact that this is The Flat Earth Society. 

Quote from: JustThatOneGuy on December 18, 2015, 07:07:39 PM

Quote from: jroa on December 18, 2015, 06:00:17 PM

People are so mad and angry.  Why are you so mad and angry? 

Because, they have read your commentary to the point where you automatically induce an anger response upon showing up in their forum.

Their forum?  I am sorry, but perhaps you and these people you refer to missed the fact that this is The Flat Earth Society.

Mission: Derail thread
Mission complete.

Hey jroa, how would you quantitatively measure the distance between Washington DC and Beijing?

Quote from: JustThatOneGuy on December 18, 2015, 07:07:39 PM

Quote from: jroa on December 18, 2015, 06:00:17 PM

People are so mad and angry.  Why are you so mad and angry? 

Because, they have read your commentary to the point where you automatically induce an anger response upon showing up in their forum.

Their forum?  I am sorry, but perhaps you and these people you refer to missed the fact that this is The Flat Earth Society.

It's their forum now, they've taken over

Quote from: jroa on December 19, 2015, 01:42:00 PM

Quote from: JustThatOneGuy on December 18, 2015, 07:07:39 PM

Quote from: jroa on December 18, 2015, 06:00:17 PM

People are so mad and angry.  Why are you so mad and angry? 

Because, they have read your commentary to the point where you automatically induce an anger response upon showing up in their forum.

Their forum?  I am sorry, but perhaps you and these people you refer to missed the fact that this is The Flat Earth Society.

It's their forum now, they've taken over

Well, the parts we're allowed to debate FE that is.

Quote from: jroa on December 18, 2015, 04:36:56 PM

Very carefully.  Thanks for asking. 

I think that he is asking for a specific answer to the method for how it is done. Just out of curiosity, according to the Flat Earth, what is this distance? What is the radius of the Earth? What is the distance from East to West of Australia? If I took a car and drove this distance, using the amount of gas projected for the round Earth Model (based on miles per gallon) what does it mean if I didn't run out of gas because it wasn't nearly 1.5 times longer than traditional maps tell me?

Thus from purely practical data, setting all theories aside, it is ascertained that the diameter of the earth, from the Ross Mountains, or from the volcanic mountains of which Mount Erebus is the chief, to the same radius distance on the opposite side of the northern centre, is more than 10,400 miles; and the circumference, 52,800 statute miles.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/earth/za/za22.htm

Distance can be a subjective thing.

Thanks for answering. It might be or might be not. I didn't claim that it is objective.
However I would really appreciate if you could provide your method to measure the distance, or give a definition.

Quote from: jroa on December 18, 2015, 05:09:48 PM

Distance can be a subjective thing.

Thanks for answering. It might be or might be not. I didn't claim that it is objective.
However I would really appreciate if you could provide your method to measure the distance, or give a definition.

A long meter stick, perhaps?