Researchers Develop the Most Detailed Map of Gravitational Variations Ever

schliz writes "An Australian-German team of researchers has developed the most detailed map of gravitational variations ever, using satellite data, gravitational readings and small-scale topographical models. They say the data will help civil engineers and miners, and will be available for free online. Gravitational fields vary because the Earth isn't perfectly spherical. According to the new map, the field is 0.7% greater near the North Pole (9.83ms-2) than at Peru's Nevado Huascaran summit (9.76ms-2). The difference is 40% more than previously expected."

Comments

direct link

[schneidafunk]

Here is a direct link to the map if you are wondering where you'll be the lightest :)

Re:Don't know their science

[Kjella]

Hmm, can we use the map to get global scale calibrations to a normal mass. It would seem to be unfair that the same amount of material might cost more or less in different places due to scale errors that measure weight and use it blindly as mass.

For weights that are comparing against a known mass there is no problem. The 1 kg of material you want to buy will always weigh the same as the 1 kg on the other side of the scale weight, no matter if it's 9.76 or 9.83 newtons on each side. So these "global scale calibrations" just involve transferring around known masses and has been done for centuries. The only way the scale would be off would be if one arm was on the North Pole and the other in Peru.