I do have an answer for you! In Australia the cropping belt has some pretty enormous areas. They use lasers to create gridlines and irrigation channels. These are not a recipe for absolute success as they have to keep readjusting to take account of the curvature of the earth's surface.
When the sun sets across the ocean, it has actually set when it first appears to have touched the horizon. This is due the bending of light as it passes at an acute angle around the world.
How do we know that the earth is not round but is an oblate spheroid?
Why are there tectonic plates and earthquakes?
The answers in the last two are in the question!
May I say, though, that many people do accept 'givens' as truths without independence of enquiry. 'How do we know?' is a good question. Even Hitler got this as he demonised the Jews out of convenience with no rationale. Everyone just fell into line.
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Thanks for this. Do you happen to have a link to an article which refers to this readjustment of laser readings to take curvature into account? Would love to read more about that. And yes, it is incredible how many people believe something simply because it's what they have been told, without doing any research of their own.
I just happen to know because I have seen it being done. Cotton farmers have a particularly tricky time because of their reliance upon irrigation channels. Anyway, I shall see what I can muster in terms of extant evidence. I do see your need!
Thanks Ed. Appreciate that! Am currently being attacked on FB for reposting this there. And (almost) everyone is completely missing the point. I just want answers to some of my questions in order that I might have my faith in a globe earth re-affirmed!
https://www.metabunk.org/lake-balaton-laser-experiment-to-determine-the-curvature-of-the-earth-if-any.t7780/
http://www.lasersurveyingequipment.com.au/technical-articles/automatic-level-compensators [see para about curvature]
Why is this:
• For an observer standing on the ground with h = 1.70 metres (5 ft 7 in), the horizon is at a distance of 4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi).
• For an observer standing on the ground with h = 2 metres (6 ft 7 in), the horizon is at a distance of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi).
• For an observer standing on a hill or tower of 100 metres (330 ft) in height, the horizon is at a distance of 36 kilometres (22 mi).
• For an observer standing at the top of the Burj Khalifa (828 metres (2,717 ft) in height), the horizon is at a distance of 103 kilometres (64 mi).
• For an observer atop Mount Everest (8,848 metres (29,029 ft) in altitude), the horizon is at a distance of 336 kilometres (209 mi).
By the way, normally I am terribly intolerant of the FE soc. Increasingly I am intolerant of acceptance of 'spoken' as being truth. I have just seen a post about how to work out how much change to give on an $8 sale when the customer gives you $20. I replied ... I am not sure whether the idiot will accept a compliment or blush.
The problem is that his post about shit has earned $0.34, 34cents more than mine about the battle for truth in Syria and the attitude of the likes of CNN. At least he would know how much change to give me if I paid a dollar for it!
Awesome. Thank you Ed for providing all this info for me. I will take my time over it when I don't have a baby pulling at my leg! ;)