Have you ever wondered what would happen if you dug a hole straight through the planet? In this episode, Andy explores this wild thought experiment and dives deep (literally!) into Earth science.
What You'll Learn
- The different layers that make up our planet
- Why digging through the Earth is impossible with current technology
- Where you would actually end up if you dug straight down (hint: probably not China!)
- How long it would take to fall through a tunnel in the Earth
- What happens to gravity at the Earth's center
- The extreme conditions inside our planet
Fun Facts from the Episode
- The Earth's core is hotter than the surface of the Sun
- If you could dig through the Earth, a trip from one side to the other would take about 84 minutes
- At the exact center of the Earth, you would float weightlessly
- If you dug from New York, you'd come out in the Indian Ocean near Australia
- The deepest hole humans have ever dug is only about 7.5 miles deep
Episode Quiz
Question 1: If you dug a tunnel from New York City straight through the Earth, where would you come out?
Question 2: How long would it take to fall all the way through the Earth in a frictionless tunnel?
Question 3: What would happen to you if you could somehow stop exactly at the center of the Earth?
Vocabulary Words
- Antipode - The point on the exact opposite side of the Earth
- Crust - The outermost layer of the Earth
- Mantle - The thick layer between the crust and the core
- Core - The center part of the Earth, made of iron and nickel
- Harmonic oscillation - A back-and-forth motion, like a pendulum
Try This at Home
Use a globe or online map to find the antipode of where you live. What's on the exact opposite side of the Earth from your house? Is it land or water?
Connect With Us
Have a question for Andy? Send it to questions@curiouskidcast.com
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