can someone tell me why the earth is round?

Answer 1

gravity

Answer 2

If you imagine a ball of water in space, it will form a sphere because thats the shape that requires the least energy. Similarly the dust and gas that was pulled together due to gravity formed a sphere on the same principle.

The effect of the earth rotating means that the earth is not totally round spherical though ^_^

Answer 3

Imagine a pile of sand on a flat plate. Shake the plate a little and the sand flattens out to an even distribution.

Now imagine a giant wart on the earth making it not a sphere. A few billion years of shaking will also make that wart flatten out until the earth is a sphere again (or close to one.)

Everytime something has a chance to fall off, it will 'roll downhill' (thank you, gravity!) until it gets as low as it can. Eventually everything 'falls off' and all mountains are levelled, and all valleys filled.

Of course, other things are happening at the same time to conspire against a perfect sphere coming into existence (volcanoes, wind, water, tidal pull of the moon, centrifugal force, etc.)

Answer 4

There is no reason for it. We've seen the fact that the Earth is round from space and it is. There shouldn't have to be a purpose for everything to be true.

However, it does have a cause. The Earth is massive enough so that the gravity will pull all sides down into roughly a sphere.

Answer 5

Most massive objects in the universe are more or less round because gravity works equally in all directions at once. Everything is pulled toward the middle by gravity, and the shortest distance to the center, equal in all directions, is a sphere. Of course, other forces like centrifugal force, plate tectonics, etc distort the surface a little, but that's another discussion...

Answer 6

At some point, it was hot and melted like lava from a volcano. The gravity was working on the melted glob equally (almost) and holding it together in a sphere shape. Then when the earth cooled down, It sort of became a frozen sphere.

Answer 7

Well its technically not round, it is a shape called an obliate spheroid. The earth is this shape because gravity pulles in all directions (when the planet was first being formed), but the earth is flattened alittle because it is spinning (centrifical forces).

Answer 8

basically its gravity.
earth formed from dust particles and these particles masses up, since these particles are mass (from a scientist) and anything that has mass also has gravity of its own.
And this mass become bigger and bigger due to gravity.
usually if something masses up they form a sphere.
And the actual shape of the earth its oblate spheroid like a coconut or a boiled egg. because of the earth's rotation.
the poles at the North and South pole are a little flat and at the equator there is buldge. due to centrifugal force, while rotating.

Answer 9

Gravity

Answer 10

It's not. But to answer your idea simply, it is the path of least resistance. Try to imagine having a cubic Earth, or Pyramid shaped; makes no sense. The atmosphere (and lack of major interstellar impacts) is what helps keep us looking semi-spherical.

Answer 11

FYI, the earth is not round. It's generally spherical in shape.