A6_4 The Hyperloop through the centre of the Earth

Abstract

This paper describes how a Hyperloop style pod would travel through a low pressure tunnel straight through the Earth. The equations of motion for the pod in an airless tube are derived, and the total travel time is found, agreeing with the commonly quoted value of 42 minutes. A peak velocity of about 8000 ms−1 was also calculated. Furthermore, a numerical solution to an Earth bisecting tube with low air resistance was found, and graphed to show an exponential decay in amplitude of trajectory. the loss of velocity every oscillation meant the pod would not reach anywhere near the other side of the planet.