Because of the forces caused by its rotation, Earth is 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 that the trace formed by the plane z = 0 corresponds to the equator.)

Algebra & Trigonometry with Analytic Geometry
13th Edition
ISBN:9781133382119
Author:Swokowski
Publisher:Swokowski
Chapter11: Topics From Analytic Geometry
Section11.2: Ellipses
Problem 31E
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Because of the forces caused by its rotation, Earth is 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 that the trace formed by the plane z = 0 corresponds to the equator.)

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