Question

A 88.2-kg wrecking ball hangs from a uniform, heavy-duty chain having a mass of 20.9 kg. What is the gravitational acceleration at the earth's surface?

1) 9.80 m/s²
2) 8.20 m/s²
3) 10.50 m/s²
4) 7.60 m/s²

Answer 1

The gravitational acceleration at the Earth's surface is approximately 9.80 m/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

The gravitational acceleration at the Earth's surface is approximately 9.80 m/s². This value is commonly used in physics calculations and represents the acceleration due to gravity on Earth. For example, the weight of a 1.0 kg object on Earth is approximately 9.8 N, which can be calculated using the formula w = mg, where w is the weight, m is the mass, and g is the gravitational acceleration. In the given question, the wrecking ball and the chain both contribute to the total mass, so the gravitational acceleration at the Earth's surface would still be approximately 9.80 m/s².