How Does ‘Gravity’ Affect the Shape of the Earth?

Imagine Earth as a big ball being pulled by gravity. Gravity pulls everything toward the center of the Earth, but it also makes the planet slightly flattened at the top and bottom, like a squished orange. That’s why we say Earth is more like an oval than a perfect circle.

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Examples

A spinning raw egg becomes oval when it hardens, just like Earth.
If you stretch a balloon from the top and bottom, it will bulge in the middle, similar to how gravity shapes our planet.
Imagine being pulled toward the center of a giant ball, that's what gravity does to Earth.

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Categories: Physics · Gravity,Earth's Shape,Geophysics