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Garden Gnome Tests Earth's Gravity

Posted by samzenpus on from the he's-not-heavy dept.

sciencehabit writes "Researchers have long hypothesized that objects weigh less at Earth's equator because the planet's spin and shape lessen gravity's pull there versus at the poles. Satellite accelerometers have confirmed this, but a digital scale manufacturer decided to test things the old-fashioned way. Enter the Kern garden gnome. When placed on a scale at the South Pole, the intrepid ornament weighed 309.82 grams versus 307.86 grams at the equator, a difference of 0.6%."

5 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. Wrong units... by MrKevvy · · Score: 5, Informative

    "When placed on a scale at the South Pole, the intrepid ornament weighed 309.82 grams versus 307.86 grams at the equator..."

    The grams is a unit of mass, which is invariant depending on gravity. The metric unit of weight is the kilopond.

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    1. Re:Wrong units... by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

      True. But in fact, these scales appear to measure things in kgf and cut off the f, giving 0.30982 kgf vs. 0.30786 kgf.

      Random related anecdote: I used to work for an e-tailer, and trade-legal scales used for calculating postage for goods to be shipped to a customer have to have buttons to calibrate for the gravity at any given latitude. In dimensional terms, this acts as a conversion factor from kgf to kg.

    2. Re:Wrong units... by suomynonAyletamitlU · · Score: 4, Informative

      Million-dolar spacecraft have been lost for less. Units matter.

      I don't know why a company that made scales would make that particular mistake, but then, if NASA can do it, who am I to judge.

    3. Re:Wrong units... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      The Imperial (US) unit of mass if the Slug (really - look it up). So we here in the US have the same dichotomy.

  2. Earth != sphere by tepples · · Score: 3, Informative

    The earth's shape is a geoid, which is flattened compared to a sphere. Because the distance from center of mass to the surface is smaller at the poles than at the equator, gravity is stronger at the poles, and the weight of an equal mass is greater.