77.7k views
3 votes
Suppose I had a tower that stood two Earth radii tall from the surface of the Earth to the top I start on the ground with a scale and big rock (I'm also a geology fan.) I weigh the rock and it's 90 lbs. Then I take the rock and the scale on an elevator and go up to the top of the tower. There I weigh the rock again. How much does the rock weigh up at the top of the tower.

1 Answer

4 votes

Answer: The rock would still weigh 90lbs

Explanation:

No, weight has being proven to reduce by the further you move from the center of the Earth. But since even the tallest buildings in the world or tallest mountains are a tiny fraction of the Earth’s radius, the difference in weight won’t be something that can be measured as it’s a tiny fraction. So the mass of the rock doesn’t change what changes is the gravitational force ( g ). So the rock would still end up weighing 90lbs even at the top of the tower because it is still within the earths atmosphere.

User Giuseppe Lanza
by
8.8k points