Why is the world round?

Question

why is the world round ?

Answer 1

Gravity... just as with a cup of water every particle gets as close to the bottom as it can, with the earth every particle gets as close to the center as it can (or it did when the earth was a ball of molten liquid and such). Actually, the world isn't a perfect sphere because it rotates and as such it's elongated slightly towards the equator (as stuff closer to the equator is moving faster and tended to move outward when forming).

Answer 2

Essentially, every particle in the earth is attracted to every other particle by the force of gravity. As the earth was forming approximately 4 billion years ago, these particles were part of a massive dust cloud which began swirling around, gaining density. As the particles get closer to each other, the force of gravity strengthens and every particle is drawn in closer and closer.

A sphere provides the smallest possible amount of surface area for a given volume. This geometric property applies to all astronomical bodies of sufficient size.

One more thing. Think of a rubber band ball. If you make one from scratch, at the beginning, the resultant shape will likely be very irregular. However, as you continue to add rubber bands, you're creation will begin to better and better approximate a sphere.

Answer 3

The force of gravity attracts any object in the universe (this is the law of gravity from Isaac Newton, Englishman).
When the objects come together (force of attraction, or force of gravity), the smallest surface space for any volume is a sphere.
When all the material that forms the Earth (or World as you call it) comes together, the smallest surface area naturally is round.
You can verify this with some calculations or observe a drop of water forming at the tap.

Answer 4

Imagine a large cluster of bits and pieces of material drifting in space. Each piece has gravity. Sooner or later, two pieces will be attracted to each other and their gravity combined and strengthened so that more and more of the material around them is drawn into them. The end result will naturally be a single, round ball of material (world)

Answer 5

If you're the BigBang type, the earth cooled into a spheroid because of it's own gravity. If you release some drops of water in a weightless environment, they will form spheres - it's the lowest energy shape.

If you're the creationist type, God created it that way.

Either way, a planet, like any other body, yearns to attain it's lowest energy state. A planet that wasn't in a sheroid shape would attempt to achieve this shape.

Answer 6

the answer is gravity.. in the newly born Earth, gravity pulls from the middle. aspects on a similar distance from the middle are pulled with a similar rigidity, and finally ends up with a round structure. and likewise becausea round structure carry the most count number number ... wish this facilitates

Answer 7

The sphere is the most stable astronomical shape. The odds of ending up with any other shape (besides the random blob shape of most asteroids) are near zero on a planetary scale. As matter coalesces to form planets, it clumps into large globs, and over hundreds of millions of years, the globs are evened out by gravity and erosive forces on the surfaces of the planets themselves.

Answer 8

Because the force of gravity pulls all objects in towards the center and this averages out over all the material on earth to make it approximately spherical.

Answer 9

Because of gravitational attraction. If high ground gets really high, its weight will tend to deform the rock under it so that it will sink. (Of course, other forces are at work -- plate tectonics tends to raise mountains if two plates are colliding -- consider the Sierras or Himalayas.) The world is not quite spherical -- it is slightly larger from side to side (by one part in 298) than from pole to pole; this arises because of centrifugal force due to its rotation.

Answer 10

The sphere is the most compact shape, and that's what will tend to form unless other forces cause distortion .... smallest surface area to volume ratio.