The only shape that fits that definition is the sphere. The result of evening out the uneven places is that you end up with a shape in which every point on the surface is the same distance from the center. Because gravity acts equally on everything, the corners would need to be pulled closer to the center. If Earth was a cube, its corners would be farther away from its center than other points.
Then lighter pieces gathered and formed Earth's crust.Īs Earth's mass added up from all this matter and gravitational forces increased, the matter attempted to take the most efficient shape possible: a sphere. Earth's rocky core was the first part of our planet to form, with dense matter sinking to the center and binding together. As gravity pulled the matter in on itself, it began to spin and clump up, forming the sun, planets, moons, and other space objects. Scientists theorize that about 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system was a cloud of dust and gas. The amount of mass throughout Earth, however, is huge and really adds up. Smaller objects, such as a car or a house, have tiny gravitational forces. Mass attracts other mass, resulting in the force we call gravity. These features are, in fact, interrelated. Two features of Earth that determine its shape are mass and gravity. But why is it round? And is it perfectly round like a rubber ball? Let's see what science can tell us about the answers to those questions. We now know different, but were those views really all that crazy back then? Probably not! The evolution of scientific knowledge has proven that, when it comes to astronomy, you can't always rely on your senses.
Hundreds of years ago, people believed Earth was flat and that the Sun traveled around Earth. Does it seem like you're walking on a giant, round ball? Do you feel yourself flying through the air around the Sun? No! Based upon your senses, would you guess that Earth is round? Does it seem like you're traveling around the Sun instead of the other way around? However, have you ever considered how revolutionary those ideas really are? For example, Earth is round and Earth travels around the Sun. There are a few basic astronomy facts you probably take for granted.
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