Earth's polar radius, often denoted as "r," is the distance from the center of the Earth to a point on the Earth's surface near either the North Pole or the South Pole. It represents the Earth's radius when measured from its center to a point along its polar axis. The polar radius is shorter than the equatorial radius because the Earth is slightly flattened at the poles and bulges at the equator due to its rotation.
The approximate value for Earth's polar radius is about 6,357 kilometers (or approximately 3,949 miles). This value may vary slightly depending on the reference ellipsoid used for modeling the Earth's shape, but the given value is a commonly used and accurate approximation for most purposes.
In contrast to the polar radius, Earth's equatorial radius (measured from the center to a point on the equator) is slightly longer, approximately 6,378.1 kilometers (3,963.2 miles).
An "angstrom" (symbol: Å) is a unit of length that is commonly used in the field of nanotechnology, molecular biology, and atomic-scale physics and chemistry. It is named after the Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström, who made significant contributions to the study of spectroscopy and the understanding of atomic and molecular structure.
One angstrom is equal to 0.1 nanometers (nm) or 1 × 10^-10 meters (m). In other words, it is a very small unit of length, often used to describe the size of atoms, molecules, and the wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation such as X-rays and gamma rays.
The angstrom is particularly useful when dealing with structures at the atomic and molecular scale, where measurements are often in the range of a few angstroms. For example, the diameter of a hydrogen atom is about 0.1 angstroms, and the bond length between two carbon atoms in a molecule like benzene is approximately 1.4 angstroms.