Question

Based on the information obtained from this lab, please provide a detailed description of the roundness and smoothness of Earth, considering the polar diameter, equatorial diameter, and roundness ratio. Additionally, include the height of Mount Everest in centimeters, both in the lab data and its actual height of 8.8 km. Compare the average diameter of Earth (12735 km) with the average diameter of the relief globe (15.5 cm). Mention the correct scale for the relief globe, specifically the height of Everest in centimeters (0.011 or 0.016). Finally, calculate and discuss the percent deviation observed in the lab data.

Answer 1

Earth is an oblate spheroid with a small roundness ratio due to the equatorial bulge. Mount Everest's actual height in centimeters and its scaled representation on a relief globe is best depicted at 0.011 cm, not 0.016 cm. The percent deviation in the lab data with the incorrect height is 45.45%.

Step-by-step explanation:

Earth is not a perfect sphere; it is an oblate spheroid due to its rotation. The polar diameter is slightly less than the equatorial diameter, with the former being about 12,714 km and the latter approximately 12,756 km. The roundness ratio, which is the equatorial diameter divided by the polar diameter, thus comes to approximately 1.00335, showing Earth's bulge at the equator.

Mount Everest's actual height is 8.848 km or 884,800 cm. The relief globe has an average diameter of 15.5 cm, which compared to Earth's average diameter of 12,735 km, represents a scale of 1:822258 (15.5 cm to 12735000 cm). Using this scale, Everest's scaled height would be about 0.011 cm rather than 0.016 cm, which is a more accurate representation based on the actual height of Everest.

To calculate the percent deviation of the lab data, we use the formula: Percent Deviation = (|Observed Value - Expected Value| / Expected Value) x 100%. If the lab scaled Everest at 0.016 cm, and the correct scale is 0.011 cm, the deviation would be: (|0.016 - 0.011| / 0.011) x 100% = 45.45%.