Spheroid facts for kids
 |
 |
| oblate spheroid | prolate spheroid |
A spheroid is one kind of ellipsoid. It is got by rotating an ellipse about one of its principal axes. This means it is an ellipsoid with two equal semi-diameters.
Spheres are spheroids. Spheroids that are not spheres are either oblate or prolate.
Most celestial objects are oblate spheroids. They usually spin, and as they spin, centrifugal force pulls them into that shape. Few natural objects are prolate spheroids.
Related pages
Images for kids
-
The planet Jupiter is an oblate spheroid with a flattening of 0.06487
-
An Australian rules football.
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Spheroid Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.