List of pseudoscience topics from Wikipedia

[Kai]

Proof that the earth is spheroid?

Okay, here's what you do.

Get a tall pole in an open field. Choose an easy day to remember, say, the spring equinox. Measure the length of the shadow at noon. Then next spring equinox set up another tall pole of the same length in an open field 1000 miles south. The lengths of the shadows will be different.

Now, logically, that doesn't make any sense if the Earth is flat, because the sun would be casting light at the same angle along the whole surface of the earth and the shadows would be the same length on the same day of the year. But they aren't, because the surface of the earth is curved, not flat. You can even, by the difference in shadow lengths and the distance between the poles estimate the circumference, which is approximately 24,000 miles.

Aritosthenes did this, 2000+ years ago.

[Adios]

Was fun while it lasted.

Hawk,
retreating back to the shadows.

[Don Coyote]

Was fun while it lasted.

Hawk,
retreating back to the shadows.

I was enjoying that.

[Kai]

Was fun while it lasted.

Hawk,
retreating back to the shadows.

Wait, what?

[Requia ☣]

Proof that the earth is spheroid?

Okay, here's what you do.

Get a tall pole in an open field. Choose an easy day to remember, say, the spring equinox. Measure the length of the shadow at noon. Then next spring equinox set up another tall pole of the same length in an open field 1000 miles south. The lengths of the shadows will be different.

Now, logically, that doesn't make any sense if the Earth is flat, because the sun would be casting light at the same angle along the whole surface of the earth and the shadows would be the same length on the same day of the year. But they aren't, because the surface of the earth is curved, not flat. You can even, by the difference in shadow lengths and the distance between the poles estimate the circumference, which is approximately 24,000 miles.

Aritosthenes did this, 2000+ years ago.

You get back into the lens theory that Roger mentioned.  That experiment demonstrates that the surface is curved, not the the curve continues all the way.

You would have to calculate the circumference of the earth based on the curve, then establish that there are things in both directions going so far that the lens is in fact a sphere.

[Adios]

Was fun while it lasted.

Hawk,
retreating back to the shadows.

Wait, what?

Maybe an admin could snip that part and start a thread about it, I dunno.

[Kai]

Proof that the earth is spheroid?

Okay, here's what you do.

Get a tall pole in an open field. Choose an easy day to remember, say, the spring equinox. Measure the length of the shadow at noon. Then next spring equinox set up another tall pole of the same length in an open field 1000 miles south. The lengths of the shadows will be different.

Now, logically, that doesn't make any sense if the Earth is flat, because the sun would be casting light at the same angle along the whole surface of the earth and the shadows would be the same length on the same day of the year. But they aren't, because the surface of the earth is curved, not flat. You can even, by the difference in shadow lengths and the distance between the poles estimate the circumference, which is approximately 24,000 miles.

Aritosthenes did this, 2000+ years ago.

You get back into the lens theory that Roger mentioned.  That experiment demonstrates that the surface is curved, not the the curve continues all the way.

You would have to calculate the circumference of the earth based on the curve, then establish that there are things in both directions going so far that the lens is in fact a sphere.

Or, you could simply keep repeating the experiment until you come round back to where you started.

[Requia ☣]

That's the same as just traveling all the way around though, obviously that works.

[President Television]

How to prove that the Earth is round:

Take an airplane over the Pacific ocean from America to Japan.
Come back over the Atlantic.

Though I suppose this doesn't prove that it isn't a ring or a moebius strip.

[Lies]

To anyone who seriously believes in ghosts- Here's a video of famed mentalist derren brown investigating what a "Ghost hunter" does.

You'll soon see, the ghost hunter is just a huuuuuuge victim of lawl of 5's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPDvEXS-71g&feature=fvst

Also, ESP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtlhjsiBEDw

Watch and be enlightened, or choose to believe in bullshit.
No skin off my back.

Anyone want a psychic reading? I only charge $200 for a genuine one.

[Rumckle]

Re: ghosts,
I remember reading about a scientists who heard that this lab was haunted, and after hanging out in the lab for a while he occasionally noticed things out of the corner of his eye. It turns out that the extractor fan for the room was vibrating at about 19Hz, which is roughly the resonant frequency for the eye.

Sounds like crap.  Einstein changed physics entirely with some very simple proofs.  Nothing extraordinary about what he used to prove his viewpoint.

1) At least for Special Relativity (I'm not sure about general relativity) the model they had before Einstein didn't work, so they needed a new theory. Unlike theories about ghosts, for instance, our current picture of the universe works fine without ghosts.

2) I'm not sure that complexity is what was meant. I believe that the quote is more saying that the wilder the claim the more proof you need to back it up. In fact I would believe the simpler the proof the better, less chance of making a mistake, and less assumptions made.

Though I suppose this doesn't prove that it isn't a ring or a moebius strip.

Just fly over the poles then.

Also, I think it wouldn't really count unless you were flying the plane (or at least in the cockpit), because pilots are probably in on the spherical earth hoax too.

[Adios]

One time, at space camp, i stuck a rocket up my ass. It went off and I went to the moon. When I got back, I knew the earth was flat and physics was a lot of hogwash  because the moon people told me it was.

We are the moon peoples experiment and they will exterminate us when they are done.

[Adios]

To anyone who seriously believes in ghosts- Here's a video of famed mentalist derren brown investigating what a "Ghost hunter" does.

You'll soon see, the ghost hunter is just a huuuuuuge victim of lawl of 5's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPDvEXS-71g&feature=fvst

Also, ESP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtlhjsiBEDw

Watch and be enlightened, or choose to believe in bullshit.
No skin off my back.

Anyone want a psychic reading? I only charge $200 for a genuine one.

I have seen and been touched by ghosts. I do not choose to believe, belief iin something is a thing that has not been seen or experienced. Please feel free to flame away.

[Thurnez Isa]

You'll soon see, the ghost hunter is just a huuuuuuge victim of lawl of 5's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPDvEXS-71g&feature=fvst

Hrmm.. just started this... he seems kind of cool.

[Lies]

To anyone who seriously believes in ghosts- Here's a video of famed mentalist derren brown investigating what a "Ghost hunter" does.

You'll soon see, the ghost hunter is just a huuuuuuge victim of lawl of 5's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPDvEXS-71g&feature=fvst

Also, ESP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtlhjsiBEDw

Watch and be enlightened, or choose to believe in bullshit.
No skin off my back.

Anyone want a psychic reading? I only charge $200 for a genuine one.

I have seen and been touched by ghosts. I do not choose to believe, belief iin something is a thing that has not been seen or experienced. Please feel free to flame away.

Sure Charlie, I believe *you* have seen and been touched by ghosts, it doesn't mean though that there is any outside evidence that ghosts are real.

Personally, I used to read lots of books on ghosts stories and ghost hunting when I was a child.
I could of sworn I heard voices that weren't coming from anywhere, seeing things in the dark that were moving, and I did EVP tests which I found "ghostly" voices talking.

I grew up though and realised it was probably just my imagination because I was believed in ghosts, so I wanted to find evidence of them.
Ever since I came to that conclusion, I've never seen or heard a ghost again.
Hell, I even went on a "haunted" tour of melbourne once, being completely skeptical.
I found it funny other people were seeing the ghosts and jumping at every little sound while I remained calm and could only see evidence of natural activity.

Therefore, ghosts exist if you believe in them, and ghosts don't exist if you don't believe in them.