Talk:International Space Elevator/@comment-30816816-20180128083214/@comment-25161269-20180128131455

Hahaha! Yeah, seriously.

But In all seriousness, you do need acomprehensive understanding of quantum physics, since such a structure is subjected to astronomically high forces. At the very basic levels, the counterweight (the station in GEO) is trying to pull the elevator off the face of the Earth, while the base structure is trying not to collapse due to its own immense weight. And the only material known to man that can survive such forces are CNT.

|This page has some excellent math describing the physics behind an orbital elevator. If you're truly interested in the science behind it, I highly suggest giving it a read.