The Claim: "지구는 평평하다" (The Earth is flat)
Introduction
The claim that "지구는 평평하다" translates to "The Earth is flat," a notion that contradicts centuries of scientific understanding and evidence. This claim is associated with the flat Earth movement, which argues against the established scientific consensus that the Earth is an oblate spheroid. The verdict for this claim is clear: it is false, as overwhelming scientific evidence supports the Earth's roundness.
What We Know
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Historical Context: The idea that the Earth is flat dates back to ancient civilizations. However, by the time of the Ancient Greeks, evidence began to emerge supporting a spherical Earth. Notable figures like Pythagoras and later Aristotle provided observations that indicated a round Earth, such as the way ships disappear hull-first over the horizon and the circular shadow of the Earth on the Moon during a lunar eclipse.
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Scientific Evidence: Modern science has provided extensive evidence supporting the spherical nature of the Earth. This includes:
- Photographic Evidence: Images of Earth taken from space clearly show its round shape. The first photograph of Earth from space was taken during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
- Circumnavigation: The ability to travel around the world in a continuous path, whether by air or sea, supports the concept of a spherical Earth.
- Gravity: The force of gravity pulls objects toward the center of mass, which results in a spherical shape for large celestial bodies, including Earth.
- Geodesy: The science of measuring Earth's shape, orientation in space, and gravity field confirms that Earth is an oblate spheroid, slightly flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator.
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Flat Earth Movement: Despite the overwhelming evidence, a small group of individuals continues to promote the flat Earth theory. This movement often relies on conspiracy theories and misinterpretations of scientific data rather than empirical evidence.
Analysis
The claim that the Earth is flat lacks credible scientific support and is contradicted by a vast body of evidence. The arguments presented by flat Earth proponents often involve misunderstandings of physics, optics, and astronomy. For instance, they may argue that if the Earth were round, water would curve, which contradicts the principles of gravity and fluid dynamics.
While the flat Earth movement has gained some attention through social media and online platforms, it remains a fringe belief. The scientific community overwhelmingly supports the understanding of Earth as a spherical body, and this consensus is backed by centuries of research and observation.
Conclusion
The claim that "지구는 평평하다" (the Earth is flat) is definitively false. The evidence supporting the Earth's roundness is extensive and well-documented, spanning historical observations to modern scientific measurements. While the flat Earth movement persists, it does so in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The verdict is clear: the Earth is not flat; it is an oblate spheroid, as confirmed by centuries of scientific inquiry.
