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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2012
Bernhard Riemann speculates on the empirical nature of geometry
Our story begins with curiosity about the precise shape of the Earth, which is interesting for the direct evidence it could give that Earth rotates in space. Newton pointed out that the pull of gravity (toward a center) against the centrifugal force of a spinning Earth (away from the axis of rotation) will swell the Earth at its equator, distorting it from a perfect sphere. The effect is small, and at the time no one could look at Earth from space to check its shape.
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