Physical Geodesy Lecture 2 Assignment:

Fundamentals of Gravity Field Theory

1. Illustrate and Explain the vector relationship of distances and the spherical/Cartesian
coordinates of masses (Earth’s mass and point mass).
2. Illustrate and Explain the derivation of formula of Potential V’ of differential mass surface (dm’)
to the point mass considering that the surface is a spherical shell.
3. Derive the formula for Potential V when point mass is at the interior of a homogenous sphere.
Hint: consider when the point mass is at the interior and the exterior of spherical shell.
4. When does the function is harmonic? What equation is involved when the function is harmonic?
5. When the density of the exterior masses with respect to the point mass is variable, what would
be the effect to the second derivatives of the potential at the three component and to the
potential itself as a function? (Illustrate and Explain)
6. Illustrate and explain the application of Gravitational Flux to the irregular surface of the earth or
Gaussian Surface Integral for gravitation.
7. Illustrate and explain the formulation of centrifugal acceleration as vector.
8. Explain the relationship between Gravitation by mass, centrifugal, and gravity in terms of their
potential and acceleration/force.
9. Illustrate and explain the curl of gravity? Why is it necessary to consider it to be zero?

Geometry of Gravity Field

10. Illustrate and explain how does plumb line behaves between non-spherical level surfaces.
11. Illustrate and explain the values of gravity potential at the local cartesian coordinates.
12. Illustrate and explain computation for the curvature at single azimuth A and the normal
curvature K.
13. Explain what is Geodetic torsion and the Total Curvature (𝜿).
14. Explain what is Eotvos tensor and Marussi tensor and its formulation.
15. Illustrate and Explain the gravity gradient and the formulation vertical gravity gradient using the
poisson equation.
16. What is natural coordinates?
17. What is the formulation of vector g in terms of natural coordinates?
18. What is the formulation of the natural coordinates in terms of the gravity potential (W)?
19. What is the equation that express the relationship between Local Coordinates and global natural
coordinates?
20. Explain the formulation of differential natural coordinates in terms of Marussi Tensor Elements.
21. Explain why differentials of local coordinates are imperfect differential and that of natural
coordinates are perfect coordinates.

Spherical Harmonics Expansion of Gravitational Potential

22. What is spherical harmonics expansion? Hint: Why is it called harmonic and spherical? What are
the mathematical values involved?
𝟏
23. Why does the reciprocal distance ( 𝒍 ) is used to initially represent the expansion of gravitational
potential? Hint: Explain in terms of explanation of harmonic function.
24. What is Legendre Polynomials?
 25. Explain the derivation of representation of Legendre Polynomials for the reciprocal distance.
26. What is the formula for the equivalent of Legendre Polynomial in terms of variable 𝑡 at degree
(𝑙)?
27. Illustrate and explain the equation of relationship between the angle 𝜓 and spherical
coordinates (𝜗, 𝜆) of points P and P’.
28. Explain the formula and the application of associated legendre functions.
29. What are the Laplace surface spherical harmonic functions?
30. As the gravitational mass potential has been adopted to spherical harmonics of reciprocal
distance, what is the expanded gravitational?
31. What are the harmonic coefficients (Stokes’ Constants), its formula and its relevance to the
expanded gravitational potential?
32. What is the fully normalized spherical harmonic function and its formula? How does this help in
computation of gravitational mass potential spherical harmonic expansion? Hint: think of it in
terms of harmonic coefficients.
33. Explain the formulation of inclusion of Legendre polynomial in centrifugal potential.
34. Illustrate and explain the types of geometrical interpretation of spherical harmonics and it’s
formulation in terms of its order and degree of spherical harmonic function.
35. What is spectral decomposition? Explain how does the spherical harmonics expansion of
gravitational potential represents a spectral decomposition of spherical harmonics?

The Geoid

36. What is geoid according to geodesy and oceanography? How about according to geophysics?
37. Based on definition how could the representation of geoid will help in the field of geodesy,
oceanography and geophysics?
38. Explain the use of spherical harmonic expansion in addressing issues on discontinuity of geoid
from over to under earth surface? Hint: Think of it in terms of spectral decomposition, illustrate
the relation for better understanding.
39. Explain the three definitions of geoid in terms of permanent tidal effects.
40. Illustrate the relationship between geoid, MSL, SST, ocean bathymetry and ground topography.
Does the ocean surface coincides with the level surface? What does SST represents and how
does this helps in determination of level surface (i.e. MSL)?
41. What is the device used to record on ground the height level of sea and ocean surface? What is
its reference? How does it works?
42. What is the device used to record at the space the height level of sea and ocean surface? How
does it works?
43. How does the oceanographic methods works in determination of SST? What are the two
methods of levelling are used? How does these method works?
44. What is geopotential number and its formula? How this number help on representation of
height in reference to geoid?
45. What is Dynamic Height? What is its interpretation when it is constant?
46. What is Orthometric Height? What is its formula in terms of geopotential number?
47. What is Normal Height? What is the purpose of this? What is its formula? What is the type of
gravity use to determine its value?
 48. What is the height of vertical datum? How does it is define in terms of instruments used? What
causes the variations of vertical datum?

Temporal Gravity Variations

49. What are the concepts that may affect the values of gravity with respect to time?
50. Who postulated that the there is a decrease of the gravitational constant G? What causes the
changes? What is the formulation of its relative decrease?
51. What are the variations involved in earth’s rotation? What specific value in gravity is directly
affected by these? What is the differential
52. What another acceleration and potential does the moon creates? How does this affect the value
of gravity?
53. Illustrate how the equilibrium tide is determined?
54. What are the other geophysical causes of temporal variation of gravity?
55. Explain how these geophysical causes affects the value of gravity?