Fermi question · Science

About how many kilometers is Earth’s equatorial diameter?

Make a fast, defensible estimate before you reveal the reference answer. Think in factors, not exact recall.

Try it yourselfEasy

What is your estimate?

kilometers

Use a positive number. Commas and scientific notation are okay.

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Reference answer

Reveal the reference answer

≈ 12.8 thousand kilometers

Fermi estimates are judged by scale, so a reasonable approximation can still earn a strong score.

One way to estimate it

Use Earth’s radius and double it.

  1. Earth radius≈ 6,400 km
  2. Diameter2 × radius
  3. Estimate2 × 6,400 ≈ 12,800 km

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