Question

Ancient cultures took earth for a disk, but very soon the observation of stars and planets revealed that earth resembles a sphere. After the late 1700s measurements showed that earth is slightly flattened at the poles. What is the shape of the earth?

Options

• Sphere

• Oblate

• Oval

• Oblate Spheroid

Answer 1

Oblate Spheroid

Explanation:

This means the Earth is mostly spherical but slightly flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator due to the centrifugal force generated by the Earth's rotation. Early cultures believed the Earth was flat, but observations of stars, planets, and later measurements proved that the Earth is round. After the late 1700s, more precise measurements showed that the Earth is not a perfect sphere, but an oblate spheroid.