Read through Appendix A in your text for some background.
Note that the units are in miles. Write this problem down for yourself and make sure you understand how the units cancel out.
Question 2 -- How many cubic cm are in one cubic inch? [there are 2.54 cm in one inch]
Question 3 -- Therefore, one cubic centimeter equals ___________ cubic inches.
Question 4 -- What is the volume of the Earth in cubic inches _____________.
Question 5 -- Compute the volume of the earth in cubic centimeters using the equitorial radius given above (6,378 km). Question 6 -- Why do you think your answer does not agree with the volume given above? What if the Earth is not a perfect sphere -- that is, what if the radius at the pole is not equal to the radius at the equator?
Question 7 -- Compute the density of the Earth (using the volume given at the start of the problem) - the ratio of mass to volume - usually given as grams/cubic centimeters. The density of the crust is about 2.6 and that of the mantle is about 3.2. Question 8 -- What does your calculation tell you about the density of the core?
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Copyright by John C. Butler, July 29, 1995
All of you have had algebra and should be able to manipulate numbers and manage conversion from one set of units to another. For this exercise you may use a calculator.
Answer all of the questions given above and submit at the proper time.
Question 1 -- Where does the term 0.0001894 come from? That is, how would you get this conversion factor?
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