nasa.gov. R = 6371 km is the mean Earth radius.. The radius of Earth at the equator is 3,963 miles (6,378 kilometers), according to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. This video will show you how Eratosthenes calculated the circumference and radius of the Earth in 240 BC!! Please enter the latitude in decimal degrees, here you can convert coordinates. Earth, as we know now, is an oblate spheroid, as shown in the above figure. The radius of the sun at 696,000 km is 109 times the Earth's radius. Step 2 of 5. [6] It is an idealized surface, and the Earth measurements used to calculate it have an uncertainty of 2m in both the equatorial and polar dimensions. , Does Wittenberg have a strong Pre-Health professions program? It has an average density of 5.5 g/cm3. A consequence is that a distance to the true horizon at the equator is slightly shorter in the northsouth direction than in the eastwest direction. Gravitational attraction from the Moon or Sun can cause the Earth's surface at a given point to vary by tenths of a meter over a nearly 12-hour period (see Earth tide). Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. How did early mathematicians determine the radius of the earth? Because of the Earths rapid rotation, it stretches out the planet; this results in the South pole and North pole actually being slight closer than locations opposite on the equator because the shape of the Earth is not a spheroid (not a perfect sphere). 1 Geometrically, the second fundamental form gives the distance from The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Also a photographer, she records adventures by camera, combining photos with journals in her blogs. Nowadays there are better ellipsoids when it comes to supplying a much better fit to mean ocean level compared to WGS84 ellipsoid. How do we measure the diameter of the Earth? Your email address will not be published. Responsibility disclaimer and privacy policy | About Us | Terms & Conditions | Site Map, Scientific discoveries from around the world. Video advice: How We Calculated the Radius of Earth. Its the only planet with life. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. , , For Earth, the volumetric radius equals 6,371. , over the surface of the ellipsoid. The Magellan expedition (15191522), which was the first circumnavigation of the World, soundly demonstrated the sphericity of the Earth,[28] and affirmed the original measurement of 40,000km (25,000mi) by Eratosthenes. The geocentric radius is the distance from the Earth's center to a point on the spheroid surface at geodetic latitude : where a and b are, respectively, the equatorial radius and the polar radius. Because the Earth isnt perfectly spherical but instead an oblate spheroid, our planet radius is larger in the equator than in the rods. Its better to have a reference ellipsoid that is constant over time than it is to have an ever improving best fit ellipsoid. The polar circumference equals Cp=4mp, four times the quarter meridian mp=aE(e), where the polar radius b enters via the eccentricity, e=(1b2/a2)0.5; see Ellipse#Circumference for details. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 64miles, whereas, whether it ismeasured round the rods, it isapproximately 24,806 miles. Here x is the circumference of the earth. Measured around the poles, the circumference is 40,007.863 km (24,859.734 mi). p In summary, local variations in terrain prevent defining a single "precise" radius. | The majority of the data posted was remarkably good, stated Jennifer Fischer, the APS project leader. Technology similar to the instruments that are used to survey Earth can also be found all across the solar system. Earths rotation, internal density variations, and external tidal forces cause its shape to deviate systematically from a perfect sphere. As , EL NORTE is a melodrama divided into three acts. 6378 X 2 = 12 756 km. , 06. He noticed that the difference in the angle of a shadow in his location at Syene, which is present-day Aswan in Egypt, and that of a shadow in Alexandria was about 7. George has always been passionate about physics and its ability to explain the fundamental workings of the universe. Equatorial radius is conventionally used as the nominal value unless the polar radius is explicitly required. A model of a helicopter rotor has four blades, each of length 3.4 mm from the central shaft to the blade tip. What is the Radius of the Earth? How do you find the acceleration of a system? [4], The variation in density and crustal thickness causes gravity to vary across the surface and in time, so that the mean sea level differs from the ellipsoid. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Measure the angle of the shadow of your meter stick when the sun is overhead and the shadow is smallest, often known as local noon (when the sun is exactly north-south in the sky at its highest point). A How much is a trillion in scientific notation? Let the mass of the earth be M and radius of the earth be R, The distance of the body from the center of the earth will also be equal to the radius R of the earth. , NASA Telescope Takes 12-Year Time-Lapse Movie of Entire Sky. These values correspond to the zero Earth tide convention. How cold is it on moon? [f], This Earth's prime-vertical radius of curvature, also called the Earth's transverse radius of curvature, is defined perpendicular (orthogonal) to M at geodetic latitude is:[g], N can also be interpreted geometrically as the normal distance from the ellipsoid surface to the polar axis. K cos This was due to the coincidence that Mars and Earth lined up with the Sun when the Earth was close to its farthest point from . It is 6356. For information on the Earth, see the Earth Fact Sheet. 5.98 10 24 kg. What physical measurement / elevation is used to define Earths radius? Answer: Starter The radius of the moon is 1,737,000 meters. According to the law of gravitation, the gravitational force F of the earth acting on a body is given by: Mass of the Earth Formula =6 1024 kg Mass of earth in kg 371 106 meters (Earth radius 6. This is the outside layer of the earth and is made of solid rock, mostly basalt and granite. Hence the required distance is. also corresponds to the radius of (global) mean curvature, obtained by averaging the Gaussian curvature, The value for the polar radius in this section has been rounded to the nearest 0.1m, which is expected to be adequate for most uses. Eratosthenes, the ancient Greek scholar is called the father of geography. Multiplyin. As the parallels run east and west, places having the same latitude will be due east or due west of each other. f {\displaystyle {\mathcal {R}}_{\mathrm {pE} }^{\mathrm {N} }} This measurement also introduces another fun source of error that actually comes from the motion of Earth and other similar planetary bodies in the solar system. N However, around 1730, Jacques Cassini argued for a prolate spheroid instead, due to different interpretations of the Newtonian mechanics involved. Whether you need help solving quadratic equations, inspiration for the upcoming science fair or the latest update on a major storm, Sciencing is here to help. = Unless you know indoor location is available inside the geofence, assume that Wi-Fi . If you wish to convert a small difference of latitude or longitude into the linear distance on the surface of the earth, then the spherical earth equation would be, = = dE R cos d dN R d , The dashed line designates the radius to one point on the surface. One can only adopt an idealized model. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. He was the first one to use the word geography and he also had a small-scale notion of the planet that helped him to determine the circumference of the earth. = 1. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. What is the biggest problem with wind turbines? 2 The WGS84 reference ellipsoid is now just that, a reference ellipsoid (that is, its the ellipsoid used as a reference by GPS and related systems). Keplers Third law can be used to determine the orbital radius of the planet if the mass of the orbiting star is known (R3=T2Mstar/Msun, the radius is in AU and the period is in earth years). The answer would be 695 500 000 m. Wiki User. Q. The circumference of the world measured round the Equatoris approximtely 24,887. r which is different from the precise result by under 1m (4105in) the mean of these two axes. 2 degrees. 6.371 10 6 m . Not all deformations originate within the Earth. Today we know our planet's circumference is roughly 40,000 kilometers (24,850 miles). Wind farms have different impacts on the environment compared to conventional power plants, but similar concerns exist over both the noise produced by the turbine blades and the . About Earth radiusThe Earth radius, or even the radius of the world, may be the distance from the middle of our planet towards the surface. det A What you need is to convert a meter into degrees since long/lat is a polar coordinate system.With the circumference of Earth being 40,075 km, you get 0.00000898315 deg/m which you need to multiply with the size of the object (1 m) to get the degrees which you have to add to your coordinate to get a point which intersects with the radius of . The model is rotated in a wind tunnel at a rotational speed of 500 rev/minrev/min. In his writing, Alexander covers a wide range of topics, from cutting-edge medical research and technology to environmental science and space exploration. . This requires an elliptic integral to find, given the polar and equatorial radii: The rectifying radius is equivalent to the meridional mean, which is defined as the average value of M:[14]. According to Newtons second law of motion, the acceleration of an object equals the net force acting on it divided by its mass, or a = F m . Arc length of more general surface curves, such as meridian arcs and geodesics, can also be derived from Earth's equatorial and polar radii. Tack one end of a piece of string to the top of the stick. When it is measured around the equator, it is40,075 km (approximately, 24,901 miles), whereas, if it measured from the north pole to the south pole it is40,008 km (approximately, 24,860 miles). Wittenberg is a nationally ranked liberal arts institution with a particular strength in the sciences. Of course, no one is claiming the size of Earth has actually changed. 2 The physical radius, the distance from the center of the earth to the ellipsoid is the least used. What is the radius of Earth in meters? Regardless of the model, any radius falls between the polar minimum of about 6,357km and the equatorial maximum of about 6,378km (3,950 to 3,963mi). for an oblate spheroid, the curvatures are. Solution for the radious of earth is 6378.1 km, which is 2981.1 km greater than the radius of mars. It is the only planet in our solar system that sustains life and it is the planet that we can call our own. What is the fluid speed in a fire hose with a 9.00 cm diameter carrying 80.0 l of water per second? Make sure both sticks are perpendicular to the Earth and that the same length of stick protrudes from the ground. 2a : the bone on the thumb side of the human forearm also : a corresponding part of vertebrates above fishes. Definition of radius 1 : a line segment extending from the center of a circle or sphere to the circumference or bounding surface. Similarly very small numbers are written using negative exponents, e. The very first printed mention of Earths size made an appearance around 350BC, when Aristotle reported in the book Around the Heavens(18) that mathematicians had suspected the circumference of the world to become 400,000 stadia. The topographical mean geocentric distance averages elevations everywhere, resulting in a value 230m larger than the IUGG mean radius, the authalic radius, or the volumetric radius. Use a scientific calculator. 1999. (clarification needed). For Eratosthenes, the arc was 7.2 degrees. mpanderla95. In particular, the Earth's meridional radius of curvature (in the northsouth direction) at is: where Tack one end of a piece of string to the top of the stick. The radius of the earth's orbit is 45,000,000 meters. = Strictly speaking, spheres are the only solids to have radii, but broader uses of the term radius are common in many fields, including those dealing with models of Earth. = 6,356.8km (3,949.9mi). The distance between Syene and Alexandria is 787 kilometers, Eratosthenes used the ancient Greek measurement of stadia, but his calculations use the proportionality of angles between two locations, so any system of measurement will work. , which is defined to be 6,378.1km (3,963.2mi). Furthermore, the bulge in the equator shows slow variations. More than 2,000 years ago Eratosthenes compared the position of the Suns rays in two locations to calculate the spherical size of the Earth with reasonable accuracy. The distance to the centre of the Earth has been taken as the volumetric mean radius of the Earth: 6,371km. The radius of the swimming pool water atom is roughly meters. The mathematical expressions above apply over the surface of the ellipsoid. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. When he's not busy exploring the mysteries of the universe, George enjoys hiking and spending time with his family. Although the precise strength of Earth's gravity varies depending on location, the nominal "average" value at the Earth's surface, known as standard gravity is, by definition, 9.80665 m/s 2 (32.1737 ft/s 2 ). This table summarizes the accepted values of the Earth's radius. They are vertices of the ellipse and also coincide with minimum and maximum radius of curvature. A few definitions yield values outside the range between polar radius and equatorial radius because they include local or geoidal topography or because they depend on abstract geometrical considerations. How do you find the radius of the earth from latitude? 7564mi). Rather, elevation above or below sea level is useful. View a sample solution. b : the third and usually largest vein of an insect's wing. If no sub- or superscripts appear on this page - for example, if the "Mass" is given in units of "(1024 kg)" - you may want to check the notes on the sub- and superscripts. Putting in the numbers, you have Dividing both sides by m1 gives you the acceleration due to gravity: Newton's law of gravitation gives you the acceleration due to gravity near the surface of the Earth: 9.8 meters/second 2. [clarification needed]. Semi-minor axis b = 6356752.3142 meters. R Each pair measured the position from the sun, in the same manner the Greek philosopher Eratosthenes exceeded 2000 years back in Alexandria, Egyptby evaluating the size of an item to the size of its shadow, measured at local noon. Learn what is circumference of a sphere, how to calculate the circumference of the Earth with the help of solved examples. [2] On solving the circumference of the earth we get 39,350 kilometres. The Earths equatorial radius to meter (m) conversion table and conversion steps are also listed. Point B, which appears due east from A, will be closer to the equator than A. Part 4: Computation . The corresponding radius of curvature depends on the location and direction of measurement from that point. This is roughly 6,371 kilometers (km) or 3,960 statute miles. a) The radius of the earth is 4000 miles. For a perfect sphere without any mountains, the distance d from a transmitting antenna to the horizon or the line of sight, or radio horizon, can be calculated from the Pythagorean theorem (see the picture above):. By 1490, Christopher Colombus believed that traveling 3,000 miles west from the west coast of the Iberian peninsula would let him reach the eastern coasts of Asia. Since the earth's surface is 6.37 x 10 6 m from its center (that's the radius of the earth), the satellite must be a height of. Go farther. 6 m0. which differs from the exact result by less than 1m (4105in); the mean of the two axes. [22] For both Aristotle and Eratosthenes, uncertainty in the accuracy of their estimates is due to modern uncertainty over which stadion length they meant. The nominal radius serves as a unit of length for astronomy. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Well, the Moon is not always the same distance away from Earth. The typical Earth radius (RE) can also be comparable to about 6,371 kilometers (km) (an SI unit of length), or 3,440 maritime miles (nmi) (a maritime unit of length), or roughly 3,959 miles (mi) or 20,902,231 ft (foot), that are US customary / Imperial units of length. Estimates of the accuracy of Eratosthenes's measurement range from 0.5% to 17%. ), In geophysics, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) defines the Earth's arithmetic mean radius (denoted R1) to be[2], The factor of two accounts for the biaxial symmetry in Earth's spheroid, a specialization of triaxial ellipsoid. However, Earth is not quite a sphere. 371 106 m), the bottom unit of length within the Worldwide System of Units (SI). T r Earth radius Conversion conversion table Earth radius to Meters Conversion Table Meters [ m ] In 200 B.C. In the third century B.C., Eratosthenes, a Greek mathematician, became the first person to mathematically calculate the diameter of the earth by comparing differences in the angle of the suns rays at two separate geographic points. In physics, it is established that the acceleration due togravity, g (in meters/sec 2), at a height h meters abovesea level is given by g(h)= 3.99 *10 14 (6.374* 10 6 + h) 2 where 6.374 * 10 6 isthe radius of the Earth in meters. Area of sphere= 4pier 2. When we rearrange the equation and plug all the numbers in, we find that the mass of the Earth is 5.96 1024 kg. It is possible to combine the principal radii of curvature above in a non-directional manner. Advertisement. The radius of the Earth is 6371 km. Required fields are marked *. The information were posted by senior high school classes all over the US, plus some in Canada and Mexico, employed in pairs. High School Students Measure New Value for Earths Radius to Celebrate World Physics Year. Since he knew the distance between the locations, he was able to determine the circumference of the earth, and therefore the diameter and radius as well. => When Wi-Fi is available location accuracy is usually between 20 - 50 meters. The radius of Earth at the equator is 3,963 miles (6,378 kilometers), according to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. is the eccentricity of the earth. A) 4.5 x 10-7 B) 4.5 x 107 C) 45 x 10-6 D) 45 x 106 Earth's polar radius is 3,950 miles (6,356 km) a difference of 13 miles (22 km). The radius of Earth at the equator is 3,963 miles (6,378 kilometers), according to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The earth is made up of three different layers: the crust, the mantle and the core. Where K is the Gaussian curvature, Earth radius (denoted as R or ) is the distance from the center of Earth to a point on or near its surface. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. While specific values differ, the concepts in this article generalize to any major planet. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. r = 39350/ 6.28 = 6267 kilometer. Our Planet radius is really a unit of distance utilized in astronomy and geology. What is the permiter of the Earth? Therefore, the Earth radius isn't constant, but it can be calculated for every location. Karren Doll Tolliver holds a Bachelor of English from Mississippi University for Women and a CELTA teaching certificate from Akcent Language School in Prague. Measuring the Circumference of the Earth. . ] This implies that for a given mass and velocity, a large centripetal force causes a small radius of curvaturethat is, a tight curve, as in (Figure). Literature guides . Our goal is to make science relevant and fun for everyone. Eratosthenes methods result in a formula that would look like this: 39,350 = 2 x 3.14 x r, or 6,267 kilometers. Rotation of a planet causes it to approximate an oblate ellipsoid/spheroid with a bulge at the equator and flattening at the North and South Poles, so that the equatorial radius a is larger than the polar radius b by approximately aq. Testing, Testing: Space-Bound US-European Water Mission Passes Finals. Oceanic crust is denser and thinner and mainly composed of basalt. The first, titled Arturo Xuncax, is set in an Indian village in Guatemala. What is velocity of bullet in the barrel? example R = earthRadius (lengthUnit) returns the mean radius of the Earth using the length unit specified by lengthUnit. Mathematically, Earth is a spheroid. 756 mi) on average. Using the mathematical formula for calculating the volume of a sphere, it has been estimated that the volume of Earth is roughly 259 billion cubic miles. Ocean Worlds Resources. Circumference of the Earth in Meters The radius of the earth is 6371 km. (C = 2r) With this information, Eratosthenes inferred that the Earths radius was 6366 km. What is the formula to find radius of Earth? Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site! EARTH RADIUS meaning & explanation. Subtract the angle measurements to determine the difference in the angle of shadows between the two locations. The radius is more like 6,371 kilometers at the north and south poles. The circumference of the Earth can be calculated using the formula, Circumference = 2 R or D, where R is the radius of Earth and D is the diameter. Radius of sun is 695 500 km, so in meters you multiply by 1000. p A partial surface of an ellipsoid gets fitted to the region, in which case the center and orientation of the ellipsoid generally do not coincide with the earth's center of mass or axis of rotation. E Though he did not have instant communications as we do now, he was able to determine the angle of the suns rays in Alexandria at the same time, which was about 7.2 degrees. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. It has a diameter of 12,756.3 km (Scientific notation: 1.2756 x 10e4) and a radius of 56,378.15 km (Scientific notation: 5.6378 x 10e4 km.) The tropical radius of the world (or semi-major axis) is all about 6,378 km (3,963 miles or 3,444 maritime miles), as the polar radius of the world (or semi-minor axis) is all about 6,357 km (3,950 miles or 3,432 maritime miles). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Using the parameters from WGS84 ellipsoid of revolution, a = 6,378.137 km and b = 6356.7523142km, V = 1.083211012km3 (2.59881011cumi).[17]. 1 [13], Earth's authalic radius (meaning "equal area") is the radius of a hypothetical perfect sphere that has the same surface area as the reference ellipsoid. N Mass of planet M = 8 x mass of earth = 8 x 6 x 10 24 kg. Its SIunit is m/s2. What is the scientific name for Earth? All Right Reserved. He observed lunar eclipses and noticed that only a round sphere could imply a circular shadow. The distance between Syene and Alexandria is 787 kilometers. ( Image credit: Ayhan Altun) There are nearly 8 billion people (opens in new tab) living on Earth today, but our planet wasnt always so crowded. How do you find the radius of the earth from the circumference? Like a torus, the curvature at a point will be greatest (tightest) in one direction (northsouth on Earth) and smallest (flattest) perpendicularly (eastwest). That's between 28 and 29 Earths. What is the number in scientific notation? Therefore, the difference was 7.2 degrees. The formula for the volume of a sphere is V = 4/3 r. 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. c) Calculate the gravitational potential energy associated with a 4.93-kg object at the The planet's rotation causes it to bulge at the equator. where may be the angular frequency, G may be the gravitational constant, and M may be the mass from the planet.