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After converting to SI units, Cavendish's value for the Earth's density, 5.448 g cm −3, gives G = 6.74 × 10 −11 m 3 kg –1 s −2, [24] which differs by only 1% from the 2014 CODATA value of 6.67408 × 10 −11 m 3 kg −1 s −2. [25] Today, physicists often use units where the gravitational constant takes a different form.
Gravity decreases with altitude as one rises above the Earth's surface because greater altitude means greater distance from the Earth's centre. All other things being equal, an increase in altitude from sea level to 9,000 metres (30,000 ft) causes a weight decrease of about 0.29%.
Cavendish's stated aim was the "weighing of Earth", that is, determining the average density of Earth and the Earth's mass. His result, ρ 🜨 = 5.448(33) g⋅cm −3, corresponds to value of G = 6.74(4) × 10 −11 m 3 ⋅kg −1 ⋅s −2. It is surprisingly accurate, about 1% above the modern value (comparable to the claimed relative ...
If Earth's shape were perfectly known together with the exact mass density ρ = ρ(x, y, z), it could be integrated numerically (when combined with a reciprocal distance kernel) to find an accurate model for Earth's gravitational field. However, the situation is in fact the opposite: by observing the orbits of spacecraft and the Moon, Earth's ...
Earth's density varies considerably, between less than 2700 kg/m 3 in the upper crust to as much as 13 000 kg/m 3 in the inner core. [13] The Earth's core accounts for 15% of Earth's volume but more than 30% of the mass, the mantle for 84% of the volume and close to 70% of the mass, while the crust accounts for less than 1% of the mass. [13]
In physics, gravity (from Latin gravitas 'weight' [1]) is a fundamental interaction primarily observed as a mutual attraction between all things that have mass.Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 10 38 times weaker than the strong interaction, 10 36 times weaker than the electromagnetic force, and 10 29 times weaker than the weak interaction.
A common misconception occurs between centre of mass and centre of gravity.They are defined in similar ways but are not exactly the same quantity. Centre of mass is the mathematical description of placing all the mass in the region considered to one position, centre of gravity is a real physical quantity, the point of a body where the gravitational force acts.
At a fixed point on the surface, the magnitude of Earth's gravity results from combined effect of gravitation and the centrifugal force from Earth's rotation. [2] [3] At different points on Earth's surface, the free fall acceleration ranges from 9.764 to 9.834 m/s 2 (32.03 to 32.26 ft/s 2), [4] depending on altitude, latitude, and longitude.