Mechanics I

Lecture M15
The Weight of a Particle on the Surface of Earth
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1 Introduction

• In this lecture we will begin our investigation of the forces that are acting on a particle near the surface of Earth.

• Once we are able to determine all the forces that are acting on the particle we can then use Newton’s Second Law of
Motion to predict the subsequent motion of the particle.
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2 The Gravitational Attraction of Earth

• Assume that Earth is a solid sphere that is made up of a very large number of particles.

• A few of these particles that are located at varying distances from the centre of Earth are shown in the diagram given
below. Note that the mass of a particle may vary with distance from the centre of Earth but all the particles at a fixed
distance from the centre of Earth have the same mass (that is, if the blue particles have masses mE1 , mE2 , mE3 , mE4
and the red particles have masses mE5 , mE6 , mE7 , mE8 then mE1 = mE2 = mE3 = mE4 and mE5 = mE6 = mE7 = mE8
but mE1 6= mE5 etc).
E6

E2 E1

E7 E5

E3 E4

E8
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• Let R be the radius of Earth and consider a particle P with mass mP that is located a distance r from the centre of
Earth where r > R.

• By Newton’s Law of Gravitation the force due to gravity acting on particle P due to particle E1 is
!
r̂ P/E1
F gP/E1 = −GmP mE1 (1)
kr P/E1 k2
where r P/E1 is the position vector of particle P with respect to particle E1 and r̂ P/E1 is the corresponding unit vector
in the direction of r P/E1 .

E1 r̂ P/E1
F gP/E1
P

R
r
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• Hence, the resultant force due to gravity acting on particle P due to all the particles Ei that make up Earth is
∞
F gP/E F gP/E1 F gP/E2 F gP/E3 F gP/E4 F gP/Ei
X
= + + + + ··· =
i=1
(2)
∞
" !#
X r̂ P/Ei
= −GmP mEi .
i=1
kr P/Ei k2

• However, Newton was able to show that the magnitude of the resultant force (2) is equal to −GMmP /r2 where M is
the mass of Earth; that is, Newton showed that the magnitude of the resultant gravitational force acting on a particle
P due to Earth can be calculated as if all the mass of Earth were located at its centre.

• Therefore,   
1
F gP/E = −GMmP r̂ P (3)
r2
where r̂ P is the unit vector in the direction of the particle P with respect to the centre of Earth.
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∞
" !#
r̂ P/Ei
F gP/E =
X
−GmP mEi
i=1
kr P/Ei k2

P
r̂ P r
  
1
F gP/E = −GMmP r̂ P
r2
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• Example 1.

◦ Given that the radius of Earth is R = 6, 37 × 106 m and the mass of Earth is M = 5, 98 × 1024 kg, then the
resultant gravitational force acting on a particle P of mass mP = 100 kg that is h = 500 km above the surface of
Earth can be calculated from
  
1
F gP/E = −GMmP r̂ P where r = R + h = 6, 87 × 106 m.
r2

◦ Hence, by Newton’s Second Law of Motion, the acceleration of the particle due to Earth’s gravity is
 
GM
F gP/E = mP agP → agP = − r̂ P . (4)
(R + h)2

◦ Since r̂ P is the unit vector in the direction of the particle P with respect to the centre of Earth we have that

GM
kagP k = 2
2 = 8, 45 m/s (rounded to two decimal places).
(R + h)
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3 The Weight of a Particle Near the Surface of Earth

• Consider a particle in the form of an apple that is hanging at rest in an apple tree and let F gP/E be the force due to
Earth’s gravity that is acting on the apple 1 .

F gP/E

r̂ P

1
In the diagram given above we are looking down on Earth from the north or south pole with the apple tree located on Earth’s equator.
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• The weight of the apple is the name given to the force that is acting on the apple which prevents it from falling out
of the apple tree. (In this instance it is the apple tree that is acting on the apple which prevents it from falling out of
the apple tree.)

• The weight of the apple is indicated by the vector W P in the diagram given below.

WP

F gP/E

r̂ P
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• Since the apple tree is attached to Earth, the apple tree (and hence the apple) moves with uniform circular motion
about the centre of Earth.

• Therefore, from Lecture M14, the apple has centripetal acceleration

a P = −ω 2 r r̂ P


(5)

where ω is the angular speed of Earth’s rotation about its axis.

aP
aP

r̂ P
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• Since F gP/E and W P are the only two forces that are acting on the apple it follows from Newton’s Second Law of
Motion that
F gP/E + W P = mP a P . (6)

• Substituting for the resultant gravitational force acting on the apple due to Earth given by (3) and the apple’s
centripetal acceleration given by (5) into Newton’s Second Law of Motion (6) we have that
 
GM 2
W P = mP − ω r r̂ P (7)
r2

• Given that R = 6, 37 × 106 m is the radius of Earth and h is the height of the apple above the surface of Earth, then
it is clear that the distance of the apple from the centre of Earth is r = R + h ≈ R; thus,
 
GM
W P ≈ mP 2
− ω 2 R r̂ P = (mP g) r̂ P (8)
R

where
GM
g= 2
− ω 2 R. (9)
R
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• Given that Earth completes one revolution about its axis every twenty-four hours then, from Lecture M14, the angular
speed of Earth’s rotation about its axis is
2π
ω= rad/s. (10)
24 × 60 × 60
• Substituting for Earth’s angular speed (10), the mass of Earth M = 5, 98 × 1024 kg and the gravitational constant
G = 6, 67 × 10−11 N · m2 /kg2 into equation (9) we have that

g = 9, 80 m/s2 (rounded to two decimal places). (11)

• The above quantity g is called the free-fall acceleration so as not to be confused with the acceleration due to Earth’s
gravity kagP k.
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• We have shown that at the equator

g = 9, 80 m/s2 (rounded to two decimal places).

• However, at the north and south poles ω = 0.

• Thus, substituting ω = 0 into equation (9) we have that

GM
g= 2
= 9, 83 m/s2 (rounded to two decimal places).
R

• There are many more reasons why the value of g will vary with the position of a particle near the surface of Earth; for
example,

◦ Earth’s mass is not uniformly distributed;

◦ Earth is not a sphere; etc.

• However, these other considerations will not alter the value of g significantly.

• Therefore, unless stated otherwise, g = 9, 80 m/s2.

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• Example 2.

◦ A particle P of mass mP = 15 kg hangs at rest (with respect to the surface of Earth) from a ceiling by means of
two light inextensible cords C1 and C2.

◦ The angles that the cords make with a horizontal line that passes through the particle are indicated in the sketch
given below.

C1 C2

θ1 = 30◦ θ2 = 45◦
P

surface of Earth
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• Example 2 (continued).

◦ If follows from equation (8) that the weight of the particle is

W P = (mP g) r̂ P = (147 N) r̂ P . (12)

◦ It is clear that the weight of the particle (that is, the force acting on the particle which prevents it from falling to
the surface of Earth) is due to the tensions in the cords.

◦ Thus, if we denote by T 1 and T 2 the tensions in the cords C1 and C2, then we must have that

W P = T 1 + T 2. (13)
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• Example 2 (continued).

◦ To solve equation (13) for the tension in each cord let a coordinate system be set up such that the origin of the
coordinate system coincides with the position of the particle P , and i and j = r̂ P are the unit vectors along the
mutually perpendicular lines that make up the coordinate system as shown in the diagram given below.

◦ Thus, by equations (12) and (13) we have that

(147 N) j = kT 1 k − (cos 30◦) i + (sin 30◦) j + kT 2 k (cos 45◦) i + (sin 45◦) j .

   
(14)

C1 T2 C2
T1 j
θ1 = 30◦ θ2 = 45◦
P i

surface of Earth

r̂ P

centre of Earth
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• Example 2 (continued).

◦ Solving equation (14) we have that

kT 1k = 107, 61 N (rounded to two decimal places),

kT 2k = 131, 80 N (rounded to two decimal places).