Earth ellipsoid

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/earth-ellipsoid

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name for earth's shape?Oblate spheroid
2. What is the primary cause of ellipsoidal shape?Earth's rotation and resulting centrifugal force

Oblate Spheroid: A rotational ellipsoid that is flattened at the poles and elongated at the equator.
Geodesy: The scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, its gravitational field, and its dynamic processes.
Geodetic Datum: A reference system used in geodesy to define the size and shape of the Earth and the origin and orientation of the coordinate system.
Centrifugal Force: An apparent outward force experienced by a body moving in a circular path, arising from inertia.