Flattening is a measure of how much an ellipsoid deviates from being a perfect sphere, defined mathematically as the difference between the semi-major axis and the semi-minor axis of the ellipsoid divided by the semi-major axis. This concept is crucial for accurately representing the Earth's shape, which is not a perfect sphere but rather an oblate spheroid due to its rotation. Understanding flattening helps in geodesy and navigation by providing a foundation for calculating distances and positions on the Earth's surface.
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