If a and b are greater than c, the spheroid is oblate; if less, the surface is a prolate spheroid. This ellipsoid was generated by the formula x2/16 + y2 + z2 = 1. An oblate spheroid is formed by revolving an ellipse about its minor axis; a prolate, about its major axis.
Just so, why is the earth shaped like an ellipsoid?
Since the Earth is flattened at the poles and bulges at the Equator, geodesy represents the figure of the Earth as an oblate spheroid. The oblate spheroid, or oblate ellipsoid, is an ellipsoid of revolution obtained by rotating an ellipse about its shorter axis.
What is the reference ellipsoid?
In geodesy, a reference ellipsoid is a mathematically defined surface that approximates the geoid, the truer figure of the Earth, or other planetary body.
Is an egg an ellipsoid?
Egg shape. The shape of an egg is approximated by the "long" half of a prolate spheroid, joined to a "short" half of a roughly spherical ellipsoid, or even a slightly oblate spheroid. These are joined at the equator and share a principal axis of rotational symmetry, as illustrated above.