Q. As you go down into a well, your weight
- increases slightly
- decreases slightly
- remains exactly the same
- None of the above
Answer: Decreases slightly
- The standard value of 9.8 ms–2 refers to the Earth as a homogeneous sphere, but in reality, there are many reasons for this value to range from a minimum of 9.78 ms–2 at the Equator to a maximum of 9.83 ms–2 at the poles.
- The gravitational force at the earth’s center is zero.
as we go down into a well, our weight will decrease slightly
- The further you go away from earth, lesser the gravitational force you experience. And closer you come to the surface of the earth, more gravitational force acts on you. This is because of the inverse square law.
- But as you keep on moving towards the center of the earth, the gravitational force acting, by the virtue of earth’s mass, on you will gradually abate and ultimately go zero once you reach the earth’s center. Not because there is no gravitational force down there but because at the center you will be completely surrounded or enveloped by earth, as a result, you will be pulled by equal forces in all directions. Hence all the gravitational force lines will cancel out each other leaving you with zero net force.
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ReplyDeleteOn Earth, gravity gives weight to physical objects and causes the ocean tides. The force of Earth’s gravity is the result of the planets mass and density – 5.97237 × 10^24 kg (1.31668×10^25 lbs) and 5.514 g/cm3, respectively. This results in Earth having a gravitational strength of 9.8 m/s² close to the surface (also known as 1 g), which naturally decreases the farther away one is from the surface. In addition, the force of gravity on Earth actually changes depending on where you’re standing on it. The first reason is because the Earth is rotating. This means that the gravity of Earth at the equator is 9.789 m/s2, while the force of gravity at the poles is 9.832 m/s2. In other words, you weigh more at the poles than you do at the equator because of this centripetal force, but only slightly more.
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