Chapter 22, Problem 1RCQ

In what way is Earth like a hard-boiled egg?

To determine

The way in which the Earth is similar to a hard-boiled egg.

Answer to Problem 1RCQ

Solution:

The Earth’s crust is similar to an eggshell. The Earth’s mantle is similar to an egg white, and the core layer of Earth is similar to the egg yolk.

Explanation of Solution

The Earth consists of three layers: crust, mantle, and core. The crust is the outermost layer and contains mostly rocks such as granite rock and basalt rock. The mantle is the second layer of Earth, and its thickness is 2900 km from the bottom of the crust to the top of the core.

The core is the densest part of the Earth and has a radius of about 3500 km. A hard-boiled egg also has three layers: the eggshell, egg white, and the yolk. The crust is similar to an eggshell as both are thin layers. The mantle layer is denser than the crust and is similar to an egg white, which is denser than the eggshell. The core layer is similar to the egg yolk, which is the densest part of the egg.