271.Find the volume of material that makes up the earth’s crust, which is ten miles thick.

Question

Knowing this volume should make it fairly easy to estimate the surface area of the earth.
(In fact, it is an especially simple calculation for members of the Flat Earth Society.) Your
estimate is either larger or smaller than the exact area. Which? How do you know?

Answer 1

The volume of material that makes up the earth's crust is approximately 5.1 x 10^21 cubic miles. This estimate is smaller than the exact area, which is approximately 5.1 x 10^22 cubic miles. This is because the exact area takes into account the curvature of the earth, which is not accounted for in the estimate.