Why does acceleration due to gravity vary

Jul 26, Therefore, for practical purposes we take acceleration due to gravity as a constant. An object uniformly accelerates from What is the rate of What is its An object travels 8. How long does this require? After traveling for 6. What is the acceleration of A cart rolling down an incline for 5. In this article, we shall study this variation in acceleration due to gravity.

We can see that the acceleration due to gravity at a place is inversely proportional to the square of the distance of the point from the centre of the earth. Now, the earth is not perfectly spherical. It is flattened at the poles and elongated on the equatorial region. The radius of the equatorial region is approximately 21 km more than that at the poles. Hence acceleration due to gravity is maximum at the poles and minimum at the equator. As we move from the equator to the poles the distance of the point on the surface of the earth from the centre of the earth decreases.

Hence the acceleration due to gravity increases. Variation in acceleration due to gravity Due to Latitude of the Place:. Let us resolve this centrifugal force into two rectangular components.

The difference between the two forces gives the weight of that body at that point. Numerical Problems:. Example — Find the difference in weight of a body of mass kg on equator and pole. This expression shows acceleration due to gravity decreases as we move away from the surface of the earth. Loss in Weight of a Body at Height h:. After you calculate the difference in local gravitational acceleration between the United States and Argentina, let us know if you think of any ways it might affect the people living there.

Follow-up on this answer. Related Questions. Still Curious? I'm sure all countries do not have the same amount of gravitational force present because of it's relative position to the core or equator, so for my research I would like to know a few questions? What is the specific acceleration of gravity force acting upon the United States?

And, what is the specific acceleration of gravity force acting upon Argentina? How is the specific acceleration of these gravitational forces calculated relative to the effect it has on the people who reside there?