Why is gravity weaker at the equator?

Gravity is often assumed to be the same everywhere on Earth, but it varies because the planet is not perfectly spherical or uniformly dense. In addition, gravity is weaker at the equator due to centrifugal forces produced by the planet’s rotation.

Does gravity change with radius?

If the radius increased without an increase in mass the gravity would most likely decrease slightly as the density decreases. However, if the radius increased along with the mass, with no change to density, then there would be a significant increase in gravity.

Why gravity at Equator is less than gravity at Pole?

This means that a body at the equator is farther away from the earth’s centre than a body at the poles. Therefore, the gravitational field at the equator will be lesser than that at the poles.

Why there is more gravity on poles than equator?

It is frequently stated that the value of the acceleration due to gravity at the pole is larger than at the equator because the poles are closer to the center of the earth due to the earth’s oblateness. The measured value is larger because the earth’s density is not uniform but increases toward the center.

How does the force of gravity depend on distance?

Since gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the separation distance between the two interacting objects, more separation distance will result in weaker gravitational forces. So as two objects are separated from each other, the force of gravitational attraction between them also decreases.

How much weaker is gravity at the equator?

The effective acceleration of gravity at the poles is 980.665 cm/sec/sec while at the equator it is 3.39 cm/sec/sec less due to the centrifugal force. If you weighed 100 pounds at the north pole on a spring scale, at the equator you would weigh 99.65 pounds, or 5.5 ounces less.

Where is more gravity pole or equator?

Why is gravity so weak?

Gravity is a real weakling – 1040 times weaker than the electromagnetic force that holds atoms together. According to string theorists’ best ideas, gravity is so weak because, unlike the other forces, it leaks in and out of these extra dimensions.

How the radius of the earth varies from poles to the equator?

The difference of the radii is thus about 21 km. An observer standing at sea level on either pole, therefore, is 21 km closer to Earth’s center than if standing at sea level on the Equator.

Why is the force of gravity less at the equator?

The symbol ^ means exponent. But since the Earth is rotating,the radius of the Earth is larger near the equator than near the poles, so the force of gravity at the equator would be less than at the poles.

What is the centrifugal force at the equator?

Centrifugal force: At equator centrifugal force acts outward i.e opposite to the direction of force of gravity which acts towards the center of the Earth. Thus again, reducing the gravity at equator. However, centrifugal force at the pole is zero.

How does the equatorial bulge affect the Earth’s gravity?

This strengthens gravitation at the poles and weakens it at the equator. The equatorial bulge modifies how the Earth the gravitates. This weakens gravitation at the poles and strengthens it at the equator. The Earth is rotating, so an Earth-bound observer sees a centrifugal force.

How is the force of gravity related to the Earth’s radius?

Newton’s Law says that the force of gravity is equal to a gravitational constant (G) times the product of the two masses (M and m) divided by the distance between the centers of mass for both objects (r) squared. Mathematically this relation looks like F = G M m /r2. But since the Earth is rotating, the radius of the Earth is larger near…