why is earth spherical in shape?

Answer 1

Earth is not exactly spherical. It is bulging at equator. The seemingly spherical shape is attributed by its own gravitational pull from all directions.
The bulge at equator is due to its spin around its own axis.

Answer 2

To a first-order approximation the Earth is round. This
is due to gravity. Gravity pulls with equal strength in all
directions; therefore any variations from a spherical
shape will lead to gravitational forces that
bring the shape back into that of a sphere.

This is without considering the rotation of the earth,
however. The rotation of the earth adds centrifugal
effects, which cause the earth to bulge slightly at
its equator and flatten slightly at its poles.
(This is like twirling a rock on the end of a string
and then letting go--the rock flies away from the
twirler.) Because of these centrifugal effects, the
distance from the center of the earth to the surface
of the earth is about 0.33% shorter at the poles
compared to the equator.

Answer 3

When earth is differentiated from Sun, it cooled into soil. The molecules of soil due to gravity, acquired spherical shape because, spherical shape is the only shape in which the object would be in a great stability. You may knew that water droplets are always spherical....there they are spherical due to surface tension and thus makes water droplet stable. In this Universe, every object tries to be in a stable position.... and Earth too tried to be stable and contracted its shape in to spherical. And similarly, all bodies in the Universe are in spherical shape for their stability.

Answer 4

The Earth is spherical for one main reason. Gravity. There is equal gravity in China as well as the United States no matter what side of the Earth you stand in, therefore all layers of rocks are pulled equally until it forms an almost perfect sphere. When gravity was first formed on Earth the rock layers were not stable, therefore it was much easier for gravity to adjust the molten rock.

Answer 5

The Earth is spherical because the spherical shape is the lowest energy state that a group of matter can be in.

Answer 6

THe answer gravity is correct, however, due to a lot of other factors, the earth is not exactly a sphere, but an oblate spheroid.
The equatorial diameter is more than the polar dia, so the earth actually looks like a slightly flatttened orange!

Answer 7

surface tension . if gravity alone , asteroids should be spherical too. take a small. free, liquid drop . that is spherical too, because of surface tension . earth was fluid before solidification and hence surface tension acted . surface tension , of course, is the isolated effect of internal gravity , not dominated by the inter molecular forces of a solid.

asteroids are solid when formed and hence retained their irregular shapes.

Answer 8

hello friend !!
Earth is not actually spherical. Its actually geoid i.e. it is slightly flat in the poles and bulged in the middle. its due to pressure created by the sun's rays. the temp. in the mid earth is more than at earth's poles

Answer 9

Gravity..! When planets form they begin with a tiny nucleus of gas and dust which gradually draws in other material from ALL DIRECTIONS. The end result is a sphere.

Answer 10

The ancients calculated its shape. I know nothing more about this.