if there was no water on earth would it still look round?
361750
There's no (liquid) water on Mars, and it looks round... so I'd assume the answer would be yes.
425798
Our planet earth and for that matter all planets, moons and stars are generally spheres, not cubes or cylinders or odd shapes. Some small galactic bodies such as asteroids comets do have odd shapes, but planets, suns and stars and even moons look like spheres. That's because, when they were formed millions of years ago, they were essentially molten liquid. Gravity and meniscus forces (surface tension) cause the object to take on a rounded shape--and it cools in that position. Do you remember seeing astronauts squeezing out juice or other liquids, they immediately become round in space.  It is the nature of gravity too pull uniformily toward the center--as the distance from the center increases, so does the gravitational force. You can think of gravity as a force that points inward toward the center of all things that have mass-- so that every part of the surface (especially liquids)is pulled evenly toward the center, resulting in a spherical shape.\n\nPlanets are not perfect spheres because there are other forces acting on the planets too which are trying to stretch them--rotational forces, etc. Because they were once hot moltent liquid, they buldge in the middle for these secondary centrifigal forces. Earth and the moon reflect this phenomina. Although gravity keeps planets close to spherical, there are other forces that cause deviations from the basic spherical shape. For example, the rotation of the earth once every 24 hours, causes an apparent centrifugal force which creates a bulge at the equator. In fact the earth's diameter at the equator is 7,926 miles while the diameter between the poles is only 7,900. \n\nNote that planets and moons had to be a liquid or they would not have been able to escape the gravitational force of the nearest larger body. Remember that liquid will seek the path of least resistance as it moves. In otherwords, an impact on the earth would cause a splash of moltent material that could escape the earth's atmosphere at the exact angle (path of least resistance) to be able to exit the planet's atmosphere without burning up. Once it exits into space, the gravitational pull of the larger body will pull it into orbit. It will stay in orbit until it is acted upon by a larger force. Fortunately, we haven't seen any larger forces since the earth was created and therefore, the conditions will remain for millions of years into the future.
678509
I would guess that it would slow down as some water is redistributed toward the equator.  This slowing would be imperceptable without the use of atomic clocks.  It would also be affected in another way.\nThe effect of the moon's gravity on the oceans is causing the rotation of the earth to slow.  Kind of a drag.  One day, the earth and moon will be in locked step, with the moon in the same place in the sky 24 hours a day.
9991
To a first-order approximation the Earth is round.  This\nis due to gravity.  Gravity pulls with equal strength in all\ndirections; therefore any variations from a spherical\nshape will lead to gravitational forces that\nbring the shape back into that of a sphere.\n \nThis is without considering the rotation of the earth,\nhowever.  The rotation of the earth adds centrifugal\neffects, which cause the earth to bulge slightly at\nits equator and flatten slightly at its poles.\n(This is like twirling a rock on the end of a string\nand then letting go--the rock flies away from the\ntwirler.)  Because of these centrifugal effects, the\ndistance from the center of the earth to the surface\nof the earth is about 0.33% shorter at the poles\ncompared to the equator.
998827
Thats like asking if the earth is round
634899
I don't know of one. Observations could be explained by having the Earth fixed and the Sun orbiting it. It's just that our laws of physics would have to change.
1158378
It seems flat to me.  However, when I peer intently  at lines of clouds over a real-long horizon I detect a curl this way and that, like it's following some sort of curvature of the surface in a distant kind of way.  It's really spooky.  But you include the question "Was it ever round?"  So if you want more on the subject, listen to Phil Hendrie on xm radio channel 152, and sometimes he has a guest General Johnson Jameson, who attempts such inquiries.  As an added bonus, a few conversations about a society of small people who live in a magical land.
916803
it would float around aimlessly
209548
The bit of knowledge I do have would suggest it should go straight down, but as never been to the equator have no proof.\n\nThese are some comments I have found:\nIt is scientifically proven it will go directly down without spinning unless you are just a bit over to one side of the equator.\n\nThe way your toilet flushes is completely random.\n\nMichigan University teamed up with Victoria University (In Wellington) to test it. They got a really big tank, drilled a hole in it, filled it up and watched the way the water spun as it drained. It was a fifty-fifty split in both places.\n\nMy science teacher went to the equator and did it and it said it went straight down when PERFECTLY on thr equator.
520200
assumeing that one leg wasnt longer than the other, and that you couldnt fly and just walk straight out into space, you WOULDNT end up back where you started if walking in a straight line, because the earth isnt perfectly round...  you would have to walk east-west on the equator only
881618
None of the above....\nSaturn's rings are (presumably) in orbit around that celestial body.  As such, they (presumably) would maintain an equal distance from the (centre) of the planet.  They would, by definition, be always 'widest open' as you say above.
988242
well, its not exactly round, its spherical. but yeah, since you can only see it from one side at a time, if you saw it from space it would appear round. kinda like how the sun appears to us. it looks like its moving, but its not, WE ARE. lol.
67314
The planet's rotation would have to reverse for this to occur. So, no.
1069004
For the most part, the atmosphere moves along with the surface of the earth. On the other hand, winds going in any direction tend to grind down mountain peaks.\n\nHowever, if the Earth were not fairly close to round, then the molten lava inside the earth would rupture the crust and deform the earth into a round shape. The main reason the Earth is round is gravity, not wind.
195652
the earth is a oblate spheroid....we do not fall to the edges because of the gravitational pull...
884879
Because the earth is round, and if you made your flat map a oval(circle), the oceans would connect and become one!
1146216
The water isn't flat... The curve is soo subtle you can't see it... that is in the oceans.  Water takes the shape of what ever container it's put in and levels itself off based on the level of gravity around the container... If you put water in a container and then move that container to zero gravity.... the water will not stay in the container or flatten out.  The reason why water curves around the earth is because the earth's gravity is holding it to the curve of the earth... does that make sense??