Question

Calculate the approximate diameter of Earth. Use the lowest figure for the thickness of the crust. Show your work.

Answer 1

The approximate diameter of the Earth, considering the lowest figure for the thickness of the crust, is 12,732 km.

• The Earth’s crust is the outermost layer of the Earth. The thickness of the crust varies, with the thinnest part being the oceanic crust, which is about 5 km thick.
• The diameter of the Earth is approximately 12,742 km.
• The crust is present on both the top and bottom of the Earth, so we need to subtract the thickness of the crust from the Earth’s diameter twice.

The calculation is as follows:

`[ \text{Approximate diameter of Earth} = \text{Diameter of Earth} - 2 * \text{Thickness of crust} ]`

Substituting the given values:

`[ \text{Approximate diameter of Earth} = 12,742 , \text{km} - 2 * 5 , \text{km} = 12,732 , \text{km} ]`

So, the approximate diameter of the Earth, considering the lowest figure for the thickness of the crust, is 12,732 km.