Exploring orientation and playing with perspective.

[Arkilogue]

and it is contracting as a horizontal curve outward in all directions

I don't get that?

Wow, someone replied! I thought this thread was dead in the water...

Bring your point of perspective to the surface of the inflating balloon and look around as it expands... The surface area is increasing/expanding only because the thickness of the rubber is decreasing/contracting. The air volume inside is expanding and the balloon material itself reacts by contracting.

Also, if you don't increase the scale of your point of perspective with the expanding volume of the balloon, the apparent curvature decreases/contracts approaching a flat plane like we see looking around on "balloon earth".

If your point of perspective increase scale with the balloon, apparent curvature remains the same. A sphere is a sphere no matter how big or small. Pi does not change.