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Because of the forces caused by its rotation, Earth is actually an oblate ellipsoid rather than a sphere. The equatorial radius is 3963 miles and the polar radius is 3950 miles. Find an equation of the ellipsoid. Assume that the center of Earth is at the origin and the xy-trace(z=0) corresponds to the equator.

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Because of the forces caused by its rotation, Earth is actually an oblate ellipsoid rather than a sphere. The equatorial radius is 3963 miles and the polar radius is 3950 miles. Find an equation of the ellipsoid. Assume that the center of Earth is at the origin and the xy-trace(z=0) corresponds to the equator.

nikvist · Answer

$$\frac{x^2}{3963^2}+\frac{y^2}{3963^2}+\frac{z^2}{3950^2}=1$$