Why is a child able to stand upside down on earth?

Answer 1

From the question, I am assuming that you are asking, "if someone were at

the south pole, how are they standing, since they are technically upside down?".

The answer to this is gravity. The earth's gravity acts on objects with mass

(which would include us). The gravitational force between acts equally on both

the earth and the object (child) and the force acts in the direction towards the

center of the earth. Even though the force acts on the earth, the earth's

movement doesn't change (very insignificant change) because it's mass is large.

==================================

Oh please! How do you know who is right-side-up and who is upside down ?

Couldn't the person opposite you, somewhere in Indonesia or the Indian ocean,

ask the same question ... how are you able to stand upside down ?

When you think about this, if possible, for a minute or two, the answer jumps

out at you, and you have to move out of the way really fast to avoid being hit

by it.

The whole point is: What does "up" mean, and what does "down" mean ?

Here's the answer. Are you ready for this ?

"Up" means "away from the center of the Earth, where gravity is trying to pull you".

"Down" means "toward the center of the Earth, where gravity is pulling you".

So now, 'up' and 'down' doesn't depend on what anybody else in any other place is doing.

Everybody's 'up' is different from anybody else's 'up, and everybody's 'down' is different

from anybody else's 'down'.

If you really thought that 'up' is the same direction everywhere, then the farther

you travel from home, the more you'd have to tilt over as you go, and if you went

1/4 of the way around the Earth, you'd say you were standing up when everybody

else around you would swear you're lying down on the ground.

What a mess. The mind boggles.