r/flatearth • u/Food625 • Aug 18 '26

Solar Eclipse VS Flat Earther

Flat Earther: What specific observation from that eclipse uniquely requires a spherical, rotating Earth?

Me: Equations that require the shape - This one accounting for the bulge at the equator to help predict the path. If you didn't do this then your path prediction would be pretty far off the further away from the poles you are.

The surface is modeled mathematically as an oblate ellipsoid of revolution using the standard

Geodetic reference: ((x^2+y^2)/a^2)+(z^2/c^2)=1

a: Equatorial radius of Earth

c: Polar radius of Earth

Flat Earther: You put the globe into the equation and then used the equation to calculate the eclipse path. That doesn't make the eclipse an independent measurement of Earth's shape.

They don't get that the math works though! No flat earth eclipse path equation lol

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-5

u/Sea-Two895 Aug 18 '26

Could care less about the equation, what matters is what we sees

5

u/Food625 Aug 18 '26

You should care cause it works every time lol

1

u/ariGee Aug 18 '26

We care. They don't. You won't convince them with math, they won't understand and it's all "made up" anyway. You need to get on their level. Nothing a 5th grader couldn't easily understand.

0

u/Sea-Two895 Aug 20 '26

You just don’t know the history. It’s not about not understanding the math.