What is the mass of the Earth equal to?

Planet Earth is the third largest planetThe solar system. It is also the largest in mass, diameter and density among the terrestrial planets (this includes Venus, Mercury, Earth and Mars). However, the Earth, for example, is 14 times inferior to the other gas planet - Uranus.

Few today know what the mass of our vast and vast planet, while scientists have long figured it out. It is equal to 5.98 · 10²⁴ kilograms.

In this article we will describe in detail what the mass of the Earth is equal to and how it is calculated.

Gravity, weight and weight

Gravity, weight and weight are one of the basic physical quantities, however, many confuse these concepts. It is necessary to clarify the meaning of each of them.

Gravity is a force that acts on everya body located near the surface of the earth or relative to another body. In other words, the force of gravity is the force with which bodies are attracted to the surface of the Earth;
Weight is the physical strength or magnitude with whichthe body acts on the support. Suppose that if the body is at rest on the surface of the earth, then weight is nothing more than the force with which this body acts on the surface. The basic unit of measure is Newtons;
Body mass is a measure that measures the possibility ofany material body to gravitational interaction. It is measured in grams, kilograms, centners, tons. Gravitational attraction or interaction, in turn, underlies the universal gravitation discovered by I. Newton.

Earth's mass

The measurement of the mass of the Earth is a long historical process, to which the minds of many of the greatest scientists have attached themselves. The dimensions of our planet were first discovered by Eratosthenes in about 240 BC. e.

For many centuries in physics and astronomydominated the geocentric system of Ptolemy, according to which the Earth was located in the center of the solar system. Only after the discovery of N. Copernicus, I. Kepler, G. Galileo, and others did a detailed study of the parameters of the planet Earth begin. The basic laws of dynamics were discovered-the laws of I. Newton, which laid the foundation for measuring the mass of the Earth.

Mass of the Earth was first measured in the 18th century by the Britishchemist G. Cavendish. For his experience, he used a torsion balance with lead balls tied at the ends. Alternately bringing to these balls two large lead balls, the scientist has established how many times the force of attraction of a small ball to a large one differs from the force of gravity of the Earth. The mass of the Earth according to the calculations was 6 · 10²¹kilograms. Such a number is very close to the value of the Earth's mass, accepted already in our time, it is approximately 5.98 · 10²⁴ kilograms.

The formula for calculating the Earth according to the basic laws of dynamics is as follows:

M = q · r²/ G, where:
M is the mass of the Earth;

q - gravitational acceleration or accelerationfree fall, attached to the body by gravity. Measured in meters per second and depends primarily on the latitude and time of day on the surface of the planet Earth. In physics, the figure for the gravitational acceleration is 9.8;

r is the radius of the Earth

G is the gravitational constant, which determines the gravitational interaction of material bodies on the surface of the earth. In the international SI system, G = 6,6742 · 10^-11 m³from^-2kg^-1.

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