As you fall from a high-dive platform, do you fall downward, or does the Earth \

Question

As you fall from a high-dive platform, do you fall downward, or does the Earth "Fall" upward to meet you? Or, both, simultaneously? Your weight while standing on the Earth's surface is m middot g_E, where g_E has the familiar surface value of 9.80 m/s^2. Suppose, while on a space mission, you find yourself in space at a height of exactly 1/10 R_Earth above the surface of the Earth. What is your weight at that altitude, expressed as a fraction of your weight on the Earth's surface? Show your work.

Explanation / Answer

1/10 of R = 0.1 * 6400 Km = 640 Km

so h = 6400Km + 640 km = 7040000 m

so use gravity g = GM/h^2

g = 6.67e-11* 5.97e24/(7040000)^2

g = 8.03 m/s^2

this = 8.03/9.8 = 0.819 g

o o Weight W = 0.819 mg

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.