The original post: /r/askscience by /u/EatPrayLoveLife on 2024-11-12 17:49:37.

If a rope was tied to two foot poles on the opposite sides of an ocean, would the rope somehow follow the curvature of the earth and stay two feet above the water, or would the tight rope take a shortcut through the ocean in a straight line? Essentially, would the rope be completely straight or follow the earths curve? I don’t know how to even begin to Google this question.