why is the world round?

Answer 1

The earth's gravity pulls itself into a spherical shape where the outer surface is more or less equidistant from the center of the earth at all points.

Answer 2

Now that we have access to space, the easiest way to prove the Earth is spherical is to leave it and view it from a distance. Astronauts and space probes have done just that. Every picture of Earth ever taken shows only a circular shape, and the only geometric solid which looks like a circle from any direction is a sphere.

One of the oldest proofs of the Earth's shape, however, can be seen from the ground and occurs during every lunar eclipse. The geometry of a lunar eclipse has been known since ancient Greece. When a full Moon occurs in the plane of Earth's orbit, the Moon slowly moves through Earth's shadow. Every time that shadow is seen, its edge is round. Once again, the only solid that always projects a round shadow is a sphere.


This is a question that has been asked for many years, and there are some very intuitive, and some not-so-intuitive answers.

Answer 3

The same reason suns are. The huge mass of the planet generates a very strong gravitational force that pulls all the matter into a spherical shape.

This is actually one of the 3 criteria necessary for an object in our solar system to be considered a planet. It must have enough gravity to pull itself into a ball. Only 2 of the 3 criterion must be met, however, so it is conceivably possible that under the current definition an orbiting body that isn't round could be discovered and named a planet.

Answer 4

Earth is spherical because it is the shape that takes the least amount of energy to form and maintain.

It is the same question as; Why is a drop of water round?

Answer 5

The earth is actually an oblate spheroid (equatorial bulging and polar flattening) and could be thought as shaped like a Bartlett pear! Isaac Newton was the first to prove the earth's shape, but being so secretive he didn't let on until he was asked years later!

Answer 6

Earth was mostly in liquid form when it started, so the balance between gravity and pressure resulted in a round shape around the center of graviry.

Answer 7

Gravity makes it round.

Answer 8

because as it formed gravity and the core spinning would make it a spherical shape. hence why so many major objects in the universe (stars planets etc) are round.

Answer 9

A semi-liquid blob of anything will form a sphere, which is the shape with smallest surface area for its volume. The earth was semi-liquid when it formed.

Think of a soap bubble. The surface contracts to the smallest size it can and it forms a sphere.

Answer 10

It's corners got worn away, due to it going round and round so quickly