LoungeBuddy shared a pretty awesome article from Wired this morning on Twitter. The question:
Could you observe the curvature of the Earth in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport?
Atlanta has one of the most “efficient” terminal layouts I’ve ever seen, with multiple long piers connected to each other by an underground train. I use that term to describe things that make rational sense but are not necessarily convenient or people-friendly. The terminals are long, connecting between buildings is difficult, and I find the hallway design claustrophobic (I need space on all sides, not just forward and back).
But it does lend itself to some interesting mathematical exercises.
Assuming that the hallway is level (perpendicular to the Earth’s center of gravity) rather than straight (a linear function), what would be the vertical displacement of a laser bean aimed from the opposite end?
If we rolled a bowling ball down the hallway, would the Coriolis effect cause a horizontal deflection in its path?
Would we ever find a time when the hallway is empty enough to actually perform these experiments?
There are probably better places to explore the questions raised here. MIT’s Infinite Corridor is the most obvious choice. But then we wouldn’t get to visit an airport. 
Comments
- I don't understand why you say that ATL is a difficult airport ... by Haloastro
- but it's always hotter than Hades in atlanta's terminal and ... by cahdot
- I sent this to our friend Dan, the Delta pilot based out of ... by Dad
- By finding the latitude of the airport, you could calculate the ... by Darth Chocolate
- After a 4 hour delay out of CMH, we got into ATL about 1:00 ... by Dan Miller