Equatorial bulge

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

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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/equatorial-bulge

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 shape designation?Oblate spheroid
2. What is the primary driving force?Centrifugal force generated by planetary rotation
3. What is Earth's equatorial bulge?Earth is a bit squashed at the poles and bulges out at the equator, making it an oblate spheroid instead of a perfect ball.
4. Why does Earth have a bulge?As Earth spins, a centrifugal force pushes the material outward at the equator, while gravity pulls everything toward the center, balancing to create the bulge.

Centrifugal Force: An apparent outward force experienced in a rotating frame of reference, opposing inward forces like gravity.
Geodesy: The scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, its gravitational field, and its dynamic processes.
Oblate Spheroid: A three-dimensional shape that is generated by rotating an ellipse about its shorter axis, resulting in flattening at the poles and bulging at the equator.
Comparative Planetology: The study of planets and their characteristics in relation to each other to understand their formation, evolution, and diversity.