Question

Having recently completed her first Physics course, Dawn Well has devised a new business plan based on her teacher's Physics for Better Living theme. Dawn learned that objects weigh different amounts at different distances from Earth's center. Her plan involves buying gold by the weight at one altitude and then selling it at another altitude at the same price per weight. Should Dawn buy at a high altitude and sell at a low altitude or vice versa?

Answer 1

Dawn should buy gold at high altitudes where it weighs less due to weaker gravity and sell at low altitudes where it weighs more. However, gold is normally sold by mass, not weight, and most scales measure mass, which wouldn't vary with altitude.

Step-by-step explanation:

Dawn Well's business plan involves exploiting the idea that the weight of an object can vary with the altitude due to the change in the gravitational force, while the mass of the object remains constant. Given that weight is the force exerted by gravity on an object, it varies with the change in Earth's gravitational field which changes with altitude. Objects weigh slightly less at higher altitudes where the gravitational pull is weaker and weigh more at lower altitudes where it is stronger.

For Dawn to profit from her plan, she should buy gold at high altitudes, where it weighs less, and sell it at low altitudes, where it weighs more, if the price is based on weight. This way, when the gold is moved to a lower altitude for sale, it will experience a stronger gravitational force and weigh more, yielding a profit if sold at the same price per weight unit.

However, it is essential to note that economic factors and ethical considerations should also be taken into account when devising and implementing such a business plan. Moreover, gold is usually sold by mass, and scales that measure mass directly using spring tension or electronic balances would not reflect any difference regardless of altitude.

Answer 2

Dawn should buy gold at a high altitude and sell at a low altitude.

Explanation:

Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation states that the force of gravity acting between the earth and any other object is directly proportional to the mass of the earth. The force of gravity acting between the earth and the object is directly proportional to the weight of the object, and inversely proportional to the square of the distance separating the centers of the earth and object.

Dawn learnt that distance influences the weight of the object from the center of the Earth. She decided to buy gold at one altitude and sell it at another altitude. So to benefit from her purchasing, Dawn should buy gold at high altitude and sell at low altitude.