Simple tests you can do at home or nearby to understand flat earth principles. No special equipment needed - just observation and basic tools.
Important principles for flat earth experimentation
All experiments should be:
These experiments test:
The simplest test to understand water's behavior
This is the most basic experiment that anyone can do to understand why flat earth makes sense.
Fill your bathtub with water until it's about half full. Let it settle completely until there are no ripples.
Look at the water surface from the side. Notice how it's perfectly flat and level from one end to the other.
Place a ruler on the water surface. It will lie completely flat with no gaps underneath.
Proving the horizon always rises to eye level
This test proves that we live on a flat plane, not a curved ball.
Go to the highest accessible location near you - a tall building, hill, or even just a tall ladder. The higher the better.
Face toward a clear horizon (ocean, large lake, or flat land). Hold your hand flat at eye level, pointing toward the horizon.
Try this from different floors of a building or different elevations. Notice that the horizon always appears at your eye level.
Testing whether ships disappear due to curvature or perspective
This classic experiment proves that perspective, not curvature, causes ships to disappear.
Position yourself at a beach, pier, or shore with a clear view across water. The flatter the surrounding land, the better.
Watch a ship or boat sail away from shore. Notice how it appears to get smaller and eventually seems to "disappear" into the distance.
When the ship appears to have "vanished," use binoculars, telescope, or camera zoom to look at the same area.
Take photos or video showing how magnification brings the "disappeared" ship back into view.
Understanding why objects fall without magical forces
This experiment shows how density, not gravity, determines object movement.
Fill the container half with water, then slowly pour oil on top. The oil will float because it's less dense than water.
Drop the rock - it sinks through both liquids because it's denser than both. Drop the cork - it floats because it's less dense.
Notice how each object finds its natural level based on density. Denser things sink, lighter things float.
If you have a helium balloon, release it. It rises because helium is less dense than air - the opposite of "gravity."
Evidence that the sun is small and close
Observations that show the sun is much smaller and closer than claimed.
When the sun is behind clouds, safely observe how sunbeams appear to diverge (spread out) as they come toward Earth.
The rays appear to converge (come together) at a specific point in the sky - the sun's location.
Convergent rays indicate a local light source. If the sun were 93 million miles away, the rays would be parallel, not convergent.
Notice how direct sunlight creates "hot spots" - areas of concentrated heat directly under the sun, just like a local light source.
Continue your flat earth research with these resources
Yes, when proper safety precautions are followed. Never look directly at the sun, use appropriate eye protection, and exercise normal caution around water.
Repeat the experiment under different conditions. Weather, atmospheric conditions, and measurement errors can affect results. Document everything and try again.
Most of these are perfect for children with adult supervision. They're great for teaching observation skills and critical thinking about the world around us.
While not precision scientific instruments, these tests demonstrate basic principles that anyone can verify. More advanced equipment yields more precise results.