if the earth is represented as a sphere why is it proven to be flat ????

Question: if the earth is represented as a sphere why is it proven to be flat ????
- Keywords:
  earth,
  flat,
  sphere
Asked by iansomerhaldenisbae to Xu, Leah-Nani, Kathryn, Ian, Hina, Andrew on 14 Jun 2018.
- Kathryn Burrows answered on 14 Jun 2018:
  
  Why do you say the Earth is proven to be flat? I think we have had proofs since ancient times that the Earth is round. The Earth is often represented by a sphere as that is a very good model, but it is in fact a kind of squashed sphere shape, and of course just loads of bumps and dips like mountains and valleys when you look at the surface up close.
- Leah-Nani Alconcel answered on 15 Jun 2018:
  
  The Earth has not been proven to be flat. It has been decisively proved to be round.
  
  https://www.popsci.com/10-ways-you-can-prove-earth-is-round
- Andrew Margetts-Kelly answered on 20 Jun 2018:
  
  We’ve known the Earth is a sphere for thousands of years. Now we know it’s more of a distorted oblate geoid (but this is still a sphere to anyone looking with their eyes, it’d definitely not flat!).
  —
  This is a video taken from one of our spacecraft shortly after it separated from the rocket. You can clearly see the curvature of the earth.

Question: if the earth is represented as a sphere why is it proven to be flat ????