Direction Paradox at South Pole.

[Leison]

if you are left at South pole and wherever u move your steps u would be going toward North ,no East,West or South. Virtually there exists only 1 direction(N) kinda weird.

 

Am i right?

[ecoli]

umm... not really. If your at the south pole, its true you can't move any "souther" because you'll just start going north again. But its hardly a paradox, its expected because the earth is a globe. East and West would function normally, however.

 

Because these directions are human-described, its not really a paradox, is it?

[swansont]

umm... not really. If your at the south pole' date=' its true you can't move any "souther" because you'll just start going north again. But its hardly a paradox, its expected because the earth is a globe. East and West would function normally, however.

 

Because these directions are human-described, its not really a paradox, is it?[/quote']

 

No, every direction would be north, for the first step at least. East and west are ambiguous at the south pole. They're not well-defined at all.

[ecoli]

No, every direction would be north, for the first step at least. East and west are ambiguous at the south pole. They're not well-defined at all.

 

ok, but it's still not really a paradox. We could have labelled anything the north/south pole, and then the present south pole would not be this way.

[Mokele]

You could, if you wanted, move at the south pole without going north. Just make a platform at the south pole that is *absolutely* flat (not curved like the earth). If you moved about on that, you'd not be getting any closer to the north pole, but still be moving.

[imasmartgirl]

or just walk around in a circle around the pole and you can move west or east without going north.

[insane_alien]

at the south pole east and west are rotations not directions(or so i was told)

[Leison]

or just walk around in a circle around the pole and you can move west or east without going north.

 

the lowermost part of earth is a point (assuming earth to be sphere). any step u make u 'd be moving up the sphere.

[Leison]

at the south pole east and west are rotations not directions(or so i was told)

 

if u start moving ,then there must be some direction and that is north

[Leison]

You could, if you wanted, move at the south pole without going north. Just make a platform at the south pole that is *absolutely* flat (not curved like the earth). If you moved about on that, you'd not be getting any closer to the north pole, but still be moving.

 

in this case, either

1) there'd be only west or east (hard to imagine!)

OR

2) we'll have to define another set of directions as the newly formed plane exceeds the sphere of earth and the N,S,E,W which we use wouldn't work.

 

it's like in which direction u'd be moving if u dig down the earth

[Douglas]

the lowermost part of earth is a point (assuming earth to be sphere). any step u make u 'd be moving up the sphere.

Meaning, if you take one step up (north) bang a right and you'll be heading east ?

[Leison]

that's what i think

[imasmartgirl]

the lowermost part of earth is a point (assuming earth to be sphere). any step u make u 'd be moving up the sphere.

 

not if you spun in place

[JonM]

if you are left at South pole and wherever u move your steps u would be going toward North ' date='no East,West or South. Virtually there exists only 1 direction(N) kinda weird.

 

Am i right?[/quote']

 

 

It wouldnt matter you would fall off into space...

[Kyrisch]

not if you spun in place

But that doesn't count because you're a three dimensional object and so you will always occupy the area around this said point, the southern-most point of the earth.

[imasmartgirl]

But that doesn't count because you're a three dimensional object and so you will always occupy the area around this said point, the southern-most point of the earth.

 

ok then, how bout this? the pole is always moving, so then when you walk following the pole you can move and still stay absolute south all the time.

[thorN]

Jump?

 

You could, if you wanted, move at the south pole without going north. Just make a platform at the south pole that is *absolutely* flat (not curved like the earth). If you moved about on that, you'd not be getting any closer to the north pole, but still be moving.

hehe, would this mean you'd be going even souther still? (If you think Pythagorasly, you're getting futher away from the North pole.)

[BobbyJoeCool]

Meaning, if you take one step up (north) bang a right and you'll be heading east ?

 

And after two steps, you'll be heading pretty close to north again...

[BobbyJoeCool]

ok then, how bout this? the pole is always moving, so then when you walk following the pole you can move and still stay absolute south all the time.

 

not really... the MAGNETIC pole is always moving, but the true south pole is not. If you were to follow your compass straight south until it said you were going north, you would not be at the south pole, but 11.3° around the globe from it.

 

Wikipedia, Magnetic Field

 

The geographic south and north poles are stationary.

[Guest openblinders]

In my opinion, excellent observations all around but myself leans toward the first reply when ecoli stated "Because these directions are human-described". When it's human-described it becomes relative to words and words are multi-ordinal therefore...

Also, when directions like this are described, aren't they described only in reference to a flat plane??

Like if you stated this question and referred it to a dimensional environment, then a step "backwards" could go in a different direction other than N-S-E-W...If those directions were specified...

[Leison]

aren't they described only in reference to a flat plane??

Like if you stated this question and referred it to a dimensional environment' date=' then a step "backwards" could go in a different direction other than N-S-E-W...If those directions were specified...[/quote']

 

i think NSEW are with reference to poles and poles are part of sphere.but we use it in flat plane

 

step backwards ??

[Leison]

any reply to post #10

[Guest openblinders]

After re-reading post #10, I believe my last post was similar and agreeing with your #10 and when I said backwards I should have said "up", or away from or the opposite of digging into the earth.