Marilyn Grius, age 12, of Milwaukee,, Ws., or her question:

Is it true that the earth is not perfectly round?

Yes, it is true that the earth is not a perfect sphere. But the variation is very slight indeed. It shows up in a comparison between the diameter taken from pole to pole and the diameter taken through the equator. To simplify matters, we will take these figures to the nearest mile.

The diameter through the poles  a line straight through the center of the earth is 7,900 miles, The diameter at the equator a straight line also going through the very center of the earth  is 7,926 miles. This means that the old earth bulges a little at the waist line. On your gift globe, however, this bulge does not show. The scale is so reduced that the difference would be less than one fiftieth of an inch