Question

How does the field strength of the Earth compare to 9.8m/s if measured at an altitude equal the Earth's

radius? (smaller than g, same as g, larger than g)

Answer 1

At an altitude equal to the Earth's radius, the gravitational field strength is one-fourth the strength at the surface, which is 2.45 m/s², smaller than the standard 9.8 m/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

The field strength of the Earth's gravitational field at an altitude equal to Earth's radius would be smaller than the standard 9.8 m/s2. The gravitational field strength, g, follows an inverse square law, which states that g is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the center of Earth. If we increase the distance from the center to twice the Earth's radius (one radius up from the surface), g will be one-fourth of what it is at the surface. Therefore, at an altitude equal to Earth's radius, the field strength g would be 9.8 m/s2 / 4, which is 2.45 m/s2, significantly smaller than the standard 9.8 m/s2.