If earth is a sphere then I want to understand how people from southern hemisphere do not feel upside down?

Question

I got this question when I saw a giant globe in a mall and if gravity pulls you to center of earth I can understand people in Northern hemisphere by that logic but what about the people in Brazil or Australia. Can some one explain with pictures how sperical shape of earth and people living on it works.

Answer 1

The reason you identify "UP" is because it is that direction opposite to the pull of gravity.  Gravity is a pull caused by the total mass of the earth.  The pull is caused by all of the stuff that makes up the earth.  When you add up everything that pulls on you it becomes a single pull from the center of the earth.

Everybody on the surface of the earth is, therefore, pulled toward the center of the earth.  No matter where you are on the surface of the earth you feel that a direction away from the center of the earth is "UP"

The real problem is that true UP is for people at the south pole.  Everybody in the northern hemisphere are really upside down.  The globe in the mall was upside-down.

Answer 2

They do not feel upside down because "up" is relative.  You said it yourself that gravity pulls you toward the center.

"Up" is opposite the pull of gravity perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

Answer 3

I can't get too into detail about it, but think about it. If you're in space, which way is up?

Gravity is all that defines right side up and upside down for us. So, ever think that north doesn't mean up and south doesn't mean down, they're more of a location than up and down.

Anywhere you are, the ground is down and the sky is up because of gravity. It doesn't matter where you are on the earth because you are always pulled towards the center of Earth.

Answer 4

if you understand gravity then you will understand this answer. the only down is toward the center of the earth and the only up is away from the center of the earth. therefore regardless of where you are on the earth these two things are in effect. when you look down you are looking toward the center of the earth and when you look up you are looking away from the center of the earth.