2006-12-16 02:36:21 · 3 answers · asked by peace 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
As Doug stated, it's a simple matter of solving a=Gm/ra^2 for m. The tricky part of this was getting the value of G. Henry Cavendish made the first measurements of G in 1798, by measuring the attraction between two lead spheres. The astronomer Neville Maskelyne had previously attempted to calculate the value from measuring how much a plumb bob was deflected by a nearby mountain, but his measurements were too imprecise.
2006-12-16 03:31:37 · answer #1 · answered by injanier 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since a = GM/r² and we know values for G and r, it's pretty easy to calculate the mass of a planet from its gravitatinal acceleration.
Doug
2006-12-16 02:42:42 · answer #2 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You can use the gravitational equations to do so.
F = G * (m1*m2/d^2)
Then, knowing the motions of the moon we can find the mass of the earth. Also, using these equations, we can find the mass using the acceleration of gravity (approx. 9.81 at sea level) by measuring the acceleration of gravity and solving for m1
2006-12-16 02:43:53 · answer #3 · answered by polloloco.rb67 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋