Earth Shape

Classical Mechanics Level pending

What is the most accurate description of the shape of the earth?

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Icosahedron Circle Oblate spheroid Cuboid Platonic Solid Elipse Sphere Flat

Geoff Pilling by Geoff Pilling , 53, USA

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1 solution

Geoff Pilling
May 30, 2016

Since it is spinning rapidly on its axis, the earth is not quite spherical, but it "bulges" around the equator due to centripetal force. Therefore, the most accurate description of its shape is an oblate spheroid \boxed{\mbox{oblate spheroid}}

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It's a bumpy oblate spheroid, like it's trying to be a tetrahedron (a Platonic Solid) but it has a lot of weight to lose first.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years ago

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Haha... yup!

Geoff Pilling - 5 years ago

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If you were to plot the median line between the high and low anomalies, it sort of resembles the seam of a baseball, which, as you know, is related to the tetrahedron. One of the "leathers" would be high, the other low.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years ago

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