Imagine a world where everything is cube-shaped: cows, hills, clouds, and even the planet itself. This might sound like the world of Minecraft, a game loved by millions. But could such a cubic planet actually exist in real life?
Minecraft is a massive game with over 70 million copies sold and more than 100 million players. However, the world in Minecraft isn’t endless. Due to the way computers work, the Minecraft world is limited to a width of 68.7 billion meters. This gives it a total area of 4.7 quadrillion square kilometers, which is about 9 million times the size of Earth’s surface. If you consider all six sides of this cube world, it would be over 28 quadrillion square kilometers, much larger than the surface area of the sun!
On a cubic planet, gravity would be quite different. It would pull straight down at the center of each face of the cube. As you move towards the edges, gravity would feel weaker, and it would seem like you’re walking uphill. This would cause air and water to move away from the edges, creating bubble-like atmospheres in the center of each face. If you traveled too far, you might just walk off into space!
In Minecraft, the sun and moon are always directly opposite each other. One idea is that the moon is another cube planet orbiting the sun. But unlike Earth, where the stars change position each night, the stars in Minecraft’s sky stay the same. This suggests that the Minecraft world is at the center of its universe, with the sun, moon, and stars orbiting around it.
In 1884, a Swiss astronomer thought he found a cube-shaped planet beyond Neptune, but he was wrong. According to the laws of physics, planets can’t be cubes. Gravity pulls objects into the smallest shape possible, which is a sphere. For a planet to be a cube, it would need to be incredibly massive, like a supermassive black hole, which is found at the center of galaxies.
While a cubic planet might be impossible in our universe, Minecraft shows us a world where anything is possible. It encourages us to stay curious and imagine new possibilities. So, while we might not find a cubic planet in space, we can always explore one in the game!
This exploration of a cubic world was brought to you by Dropbox. Whether you’re writing, drawing, or creating anything else, Dropbox helps you work the way you want, with over 400 million people using it worldwide. Keep creating and exploring!
Using cardboard or construction paper, create a 3D model of a cube planet. Think about how gravity would affect the landscape and where water and air would collect. Present your model to the class and explain your design choices.
Conduct a simple experiment to understand gravity’s effect on different shapes. Use clay to form a sphere and a cube, then drop them from the same height. Observe how they fall and discuss why planets are spherical rather than cubic.
Imagine what life would be like on a cube planet. Draw or write about the types of plants, animals, and weather patterns that might exist. Consider how gravity and the unique landscape would influence these elements.
Create a star map for a cubic world like Minecraft. Use a large piece of paper to draw the cube and plot where the sun, moon, and stars would be. Discuss how this differs from Earth’s night sky and what it suggests about the universe.
Engage in a classroom debate about the feasibility of a cube planet. Split into two groups, one arguing for the possibility of a cube planet and the other against it. Use evidence from physics to support your arguments.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[MUSIC] Consider a cubic cow, living on a cubic hillside, under cubic clouds, on a cube world. Could a planet like Minecraft actually exist? [MUSIC] With over 70 million copies sold and more than 100 million players, the world of Minecraft is huge. But it’s not infinite. Thanks to some quirks of your computer’s mathematical code, the Minecraft Overworld is limited to a width of 68.7 billion meters, for a total area of 4.7 quadrillion square kilometers, or about 9 million times the surface area of Earth. Of course, that’s just one face. All six sides would have an area of over 28 quadrillion square kilometers, more than 4,000 times the surface area of the sun. Near the World Border, about 30 million meters from the center of any Minecraft landscape, things start to get very unusual. Living things just sort of disappear.
On a cubic planet, this makes sense. Gravity would only be oriented straight up and down at the center of each face. The closer we get to any horizon, the more of the planet’s mass would be under and behind us, and although that would make gravity slightly weaker towards the edge, we’d get the odd sensation that we were walking uphill. That angled gravity would end up drawing air and water away from the edges. Viewing our cubic planet from orbit, we’d see six bubble atmospheres, one in the center of each face. On the surface, we’d only be able to travel so far before we simply walked right out into space. [MUSIC] Ah, there’s nothing quite as beautiful as a cubic sunset. Unlike on Earth, the Overworld’s sun and moon are always oriented directly opposite of each other. One explanation is that the Overmoon is actually a neighboring cubic planet, locked in its own synchronous orbit with the Cubesun, but that doesn’t explain the stars.
In Earth’s night sky, the relative positions of the stars and moon change each night as we travel around the sun. But in Minecraft, the night sky always looks the same. This can only mean the Overworld is at the center of its universe, orbited by a fixed sun, moon, and stars. Clearly, Copernicus would not be a ‘crafter. Since the sun and moon pass directly overhead each day, we can conclude that the polar axis of our cubic planet passes directly through the center of two of the six faces. These polar faces would only ever see dim twilight, and their bubble biomes are most likely frozen wastelands, devoid of complex life. But the other illuminated faces of our world could be home to three unique Overworlds of their own.
In 1884, a Swiss astronomer claimed to have discovered a cube world just like this, orbiting beyond Neptune. Spoiler: he was mistaken. With my sincerest apologies to Superman, Bizarro, and Minecraft players everywhere, the laws of physics say cubic planets and cubic ducks are sadly impossible. Having enough gravity to rearrange into a sphere is one of the criteria for being a planet. Gravity wants to pull an object’s mass into the smallest volume possible and to distribute that gravity as evenly as possible among that mass. The best shape for that? A sphere.
If a gas planet like Jupiter, made mostly of hydrogen, were just 80 times more massive than it is, it wouldn’t be a planet anymore. Its gravity and internal pressure would be so high that elements like hydrogen would begin to fuse to helium at its core; it would turn into a star. For a rocky planet to turn into a star, to fuse heavier elements like silicon, it would have to be about 8 to 11 times more massive than our sun. Our cube world’s volume would be 3.2 x 10^23 cubic kilometers, and at a density similar to Earth’s, its hexahedral mass would be nearly 900,000 times that of our sun. The only things that massive in our universe are supermassive black holes.
These large black holes are likely found at the center of most galaxies, surrounded by incredible amounts of heat and radiation. Like all black holes, they contain so much mass and gravity that even light can’t escape. So, a cubic Overworld might be impossible in this universe, but if Minecraft has taught us anything, it’s that there’s a universe of its own. And there, who knows what might be possible? Stay curious.
This episode was sponsored by Dropbox. No matter what you create, whether you write it, draw it, mix it, or test it, Dropbox makes it simple to work the way you want. That’s why over 400 million people around the world use Dropbox to work together on any file, with anyone, from anywhere. Dropbox. All Yours.
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Cube – A three-dimensional shape with six equal square faces. – In math class, we learned how to calculate the volume of a cube by multiplying the length of one side by itself three times.
Gravity – The force that attracts objects toward the center of the Earth or any other physical body having mass. – Gravity is the reason why objects fall to the ground when you drop them.
Planet – A celestial body that orbits a star and is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity. – Earth is the third planet from the Sun in our solar system.
Surface – The outermost layer or boundary of an object. – The surface of the moon is covered with craters and dust.
Area – The measure of the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape, expressed in square units. – To find the area of a rectangle, multiply its length by its width.
Atmosphere – The layer of gases surrounding a planet or other celestial body. – Earth’s atmosphere is composed mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
Stars – Massive, luminous spheres of plasma held together by gravity, often visible in the night sky. – On a clear night, you can see thousands of stars twinkling in the sky.
Universe – All existing matter and space considered as a whole; the cosmos. – Scientists study the universe to understand its origins and structure.
Physics – The branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy. – In physics class, we learned about the laws of motion and how they apply to everyday life.
Explore – To investigate or study something in detail. – Astronomers use telescopes to explore distant galaxies and learn more about the universe.
