# Distance from North to South poles

1. Jun 30, 2007

### SiTuCrois

Is the distance from North to South poles of the Earth equal that from West to East poles ?

2. Jun 30, 2007

### Danger

Welcome to PF, SiTuCrois.
There are no 'east' or 'west' poles. If there were, however, the distance between them would be greater than the distance between 'north' and 'south'. The Earth is oblate, rather than spherical, due to its rotation. It's a lot bigger around side-to-side than it is up-and-down.

3. Jun 30, 2007

### SiTuCrois

Thank you, I'm really sorry about the poles

But why does rotation make its side-to-side bigger ?

4. Jul 1, 2007

### chaoseverlasting

This is just a guess, but I think when the planets were molten fluid masses, they were spinning at great angular velocities, and because of that (centrifugal force), the fluid tried to escape, and this attempt would have been most successful where the force was maximum (at the equator as the force equation is $$mw^2r$$ and the radius is maximum there), so most of that fluid bundled there...

Perhaps someone who's better versed in these matters could give us a more accurate explanation?

Last edited: Jul 2, 2007
5. Jul 1, 2007

### Mk

Sounds right to me.

6. Jul 1, 2007

### Mk

Time also goes a bit slower around the equator too

7. Jul 2, 2007

### SiTuCrois

Thanks everyone,

Tomorrow I'll have a geo-course, i don't know the content my professor would teach us, but trust me, I would make real questions.

Be prepared!

8. Jul 2, 2007

### Danger

We're always prepared. Bring it, dude.

9. Jul 2, 2007

### SiTuCrois

I know how challenging it is for me to do this. because my professor is stricter than me and I am scared to talk to him

10. Jul 2, 2007

### Smurf

PF was born prepared. Seriously, it was squeezed out still clasping it's tiny clipboard.

11. Jul 2, 2007

### Smurf

By the way, NEWS is a much cooler acronym (North East West South)