WHAT HAPPENS TO A IRON BALL DROPPED FROM NORTH POLE THROUGH THE IMAGINARY HOLE?

Question

IMAGINE A THROUGH HOLE IS DRILLED BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH POLE. IF AN IRON BALL IS DROPPED FROM NORTH POLE IN TO THAT HOLE, WHAT HAPPENS THEN?

Answer 1

It would drop toward the center of the earth, achieving a high rate of speed, then continue upward toward the south pole, decelerating at about the same rate. Then it would drop back down again, and shuttle back and forth along the Earth's axis until all its momentum was lost to air resistance.

Answer 2

Firstly, you couldn't drill a hole like that though the earth.

But, suspending disbelief,

The ball would fall toward the center of the earth till it passed it, due to momentum, it would slow down and then fall back toward the center of the earth, pass it, then slow down, fall back to the center, pass it, etc etc, till it lost enough momentum to come to rest at the center of gravity of the earth.

Kind of like if you roll a ball in between two hills, it would roll up and down till it found a center of gravity.

I don't think standing at the north and south pole would have any affect on the experiment.

Answer 3

it would take 40 odd minutes to reach the southpole then it would do the same again and again in reverse (btw dont know the precise time, its around that)

im guessing you think the magnetic field would do something to it.. probably but gravity would beat that and so it would do what i said.

Answer 4

lets say somebody dug a hole through the north pole to the south pole. and then you dropped a iron ball from the north pole then the ball will travel to the center of the earth where the tempreture is 5000 degree celsius, i think the ball would melt.

if we suppose the center is colled in that case the iron ball would execute SHM (simple harmonic motion) keeping the centre as the mean position. That is just like a pendulum does move back and forth from one pole to another keeping the center as the mean point and after it looses all of its energy it will come to rest at the center of the earth.

Answer 5

It would fall toward the centre of the earth and remain there.