Acceleration due to gravity (or acceleration of gravity) or gravity acceleration is the acceleration caused by the gravitational force of attraction of large bodies. As we know that the term acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity with respect to a given time. Scientists like Sir Isaac Newton and Lord Henry Cavendish soon discovered that this increase in speed, or acceleration, was caused by a different force known as gravity by studying objects falling to the Earth in a variety of circumstances. According to definitions, gravity is a force that pulls objects toward the center of mass, like the Earth. Conversely, acceleration describes how an object’s velocity or speed changes over time. Hence, the value of acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s2 on earth. Show
What is Acceleration due to Gravity?
The acceleration that an object experiences as a result of the gravitational force is known as acceleration due to gravity, ms-2 is its SI unit. It has a direction and a magnitude so it is a vector quantity as a result. The symbol g represents the acceleration due by gravity. Its typical value at sea level on the surface of the earth is 9.8 ms-2. The second law of motion and the law of universal gravitation of Newton serve as the foundation for its calculation. Mathematically, the acceleration due to gravity is directly proportional to the mass of the object and inversely proportional to the distance from the center of mass, so given as:
Units of Acceleration due to Gravity
Derivation for the formula of acceleration due to gravity
Calculation of the Value of Acceleration due to Gravity
Factor affecting Acceleration due to Gravity
Effects on g due to Height (h)Consider an object (of mass m) P at a height h from the surface of the earth, R be the radius of the earth as shown in the figure below:
Effects on g due to Depth DConsider an object (of mass m) P at a depth d from the surface of the earth, R be the radius of the earth as shown in the figure below:
Effects on g due to Shape of EarthThe radius of the earth, an oblate spheroid, is greater towards the equator than it is farther from the poles. The acceleration caused by gravity changes with latitude due to the shape of the earth since it is inversely proportional to the square of the earth’s radius for a given mass.
Hence, from the above-mentioned equation, it is obvious that the equator experiences less, and the poles have more gravitational acceleration. Therefore, when g lowers, a person’s weight falls as they move from the equator to the poles. The variation in g is due to the centrifugal force acting on the rotation of the earth. When the earth is rotating, all the objects tend to experience a centrifugal force that won’t act in the direction of gravity. FAQs on Acceleration due to GravityQuestion 1: What do you mean by Acceleration due to Gravity? Answer:
Question 2: What is the SI unit and dimensional formula of Acceleration due to Gravity? Answer:
Question 3: What is the acceleration due to gravity on the moon? Answer:
Question 4: Does the mass of any object have an impact on the value of acceleration due to gravity? Answer:
Question 5: Write down the formula to calculate the attraction force between two objects. Answer:
Question 6: What do you understand by the term Free Fall? Answer:
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