3273: Latitude and Longitude
| Latitude and Longitude |
 Title text: NGS and IERS are complaining that they left CLEAR instructions to set the washing machine to WGS84 (G2296) instead of WGS84 (G730). |
Explanation[edit]
When you wash clothes, particularly wool and cotton ones in hot water, they can shrink. Randall pretends (1) that the latitude and longitude lines shown on maps physically exist on the Earth (much like 2854: Date Line), (2) that they're made of some material that shrinks when washed improperly, and (3) that the lines have been washed improperly, causing them to shrink. It obviously wouldn't work as shown, given that the lines would sink where they cross oceans, which are composed primarily of solutions of inorganic salts in water and are liquid (though this does not entirely rule out that a "Do not tumble dry" instruction has also been ignored, causing its own set of problems). On a similar note, the latlong grid would have to be made of an incredibly strong material to be able to squeeze into the Earth's surface, while at the same time prone to shrinking when washed.
Even ignoring all of this, the shrinking grid wouldn't actually dig into the Earth: all the latitude circles (except the equator) form small circles and would simply slip to the north or south upon shrinking, finding a new position where they would now fit. The longitude circles and the equator form great circles and could theoretically cut into the Earth, but in practice small disturbances (e.g. from mountains and inclined terrain) would cause them to slip either westward or eastward. Both of these deformations would happen arc by arc rather than to the whole of each circle if the joins where they intersect were strongly connected.
The level of seawater wouldn't be squeezed down under the lines and bulge outwards between them. Not counting tidal effects, tsunamis, and (relatively) small surface waves, the oceans assume nearly-constant levels, so the shrunk grid would simply submerge without affecting the ocean surface. While the rock could theoretically be depressed, this would then cause the oceans to flood the affected areas, changing the coastline, which is not depicted.
Also, the lines are conceptual, not physical, things.[citation needed] There are also 360 main meridians, while Randall's globe chooses to present only 18 of them (half of them invisible on the other side). All the main meridians and also all 180 latitude parallels (i.e. those with round numbers), would shrink in the same manner, leading to a much different shape to the one Randall presents here. Additionally, there are an infinite number of non-main meridians and latitude parallels that can be used on maps as well: if all of them shrank evenly in the same way, the entire surface of Earth would be compressed into a denser form, but without any bulges.
The title text refers to the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS, formerly called the International Earth Rotation Service), and the U.S. government agency the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). Both of these establish 3-D coordinate systems for the Earth. WGS 84 (World Geodetic System 1984) is one such coordinate system, with two more recent "realizations" numbered G730 (the first to use GPS measurements) and G2296 (the most recent update).
Transcript[edit]
- [An image of the Earth showing most of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Indian Ocean, with horizontal latitude lines and vertical longitude lines looking like a balloon tied tightly with string - like the lines are squeezed down into the surface.]
- [Caption below the panel:] Bad news: NASA accidentally shrank Earth's latitude and longitude lines in the wash.
Add comment 
Create topic (use sparingly) 
Refresh
Discussion
Randall mentioned expanding Earth in the What if? blog and book, but I suppose this is to prevent the Earth from expanding, and possibly shrink it. YZ100 11:17, 17 July 2026 (UTC)
How strong is the force from shrinking compared to the firmness of the earth? Velocifyer (talk) 00:34, 18 July 2026 (UTC)
- No, dude, that ain't it! How the [redacted] strong is that force compared to the fluidity of the water? Which should have flooded into crevices in the land areas on a massive scale, killing and displacing millions of people not already reeling from catastrophic earthquakes, flood basalts and other forms of global-scale induced volcanism, and this ... this ... thing that just appeared out of nowhere in what's left of my living room? Once again, the human imagination (or what passes for it) trumps physics. 2605:59C8:160:DB08:201A:4B4:168C:6EA 12:25, 18 July 2026 (UTC)
You say "looking like a balloon tied tightly with string" I say "looking like a roasted ham".--94.73.51.68 10:04, 18 July 2026 (UTC)
I dont agree that the comic implies the earth has been washed (no. 3). It could be just the lines. Caber (talk) 20:00, 18 July 2026 (UTC)
- I concur. The caption is pretty (but not absolutely, alas) clear that (some of) the grid lines, and only the gridlines, were in the washing load that went awry. 2605:59C8:160:DB08:201A:4B4:168C:6EA 20:20, 18 July 2026 (UTC)
But the lines are usually getting washed regularly, by rain. These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For (talk) 03:17, 19 July 2026 (UTC)
- Cold water. No detergent. Solar drying. Probably all indicated on the label, had anyone bothered to look before tossing them in the top-loader. 2605:59C8:160:DB08:895E:B258:C080:D56F 15:25, 19 July 2026 (UTC)
I remember a comic about rocket snatching onto one of these lines. Does anyone remember which one that was? 159.224.64.162 02:01, 20 July 2026 (UTC)
"all the latitude circles (except the equator) form small circles and would simply slip to the north or south upon shrinking" - not if the whole thing is a net construction, with the lat and long lines attached to each other. 82.13.184.33 10:26, 20 July 2026 (UTC)
- Yes absolutely, the comic looks much more like a net of lines joined at the crossovers. Hence, no slippage. 115.130.248.217 02:50, 22 July 2026 (UTC)
This is totally lost on all the flat earthers. 66.212.184.170 11:50, 20 July 2026 (UTC)
I measured the indent to be about 4 pixels (inset of the lines from the outer radius of the sphere), of a total earth diameter of 319 pixels. This would correspond to about 160km indent on the lines! I think it's safe to say that this change would have quite catastrophic consequences. Since the Earth surface seemed to be pulled in with some elasticity somehow, I'd even say the oceans might drain almost completely into the new ridges made by the contraction. 71.212.153.9 22:23, 20 July 2026 (UTC)
- A lot of you seem to think the oceans should flow towards the indents. That is clearly not what we afe seeing. Somehow the lines have an influence over gravity. Not so strange, if you ask me. Caber (talk) 21:39, 23 July 2026 (UTC)
Does anyone know if there's any notable change between the two versions of WGS84 (G2296 vs G730) that could have inspired this comic? 31.201.224.86 14:23, 28 July 2026 (UTC) Maarten
- Yes, that would be most useful. Randall is not known for throwing random unrelated technical specs. The best I could find is that G2296 compared to G730 has "shrunk" error bars, i.e. it more precise, as can be seen e.g. in figure6 here. Still I don't feel confident enough to put it in main explanation. --192.42.116.44 18:58, 3 August 2026 (UTC)
Add comment