Could the Earth get heavier or lighter? Or would it stay the same?

Question

I mean, we re-use resources, like metal and water.

Answer 1

The border you want to watch is the one between the Earth and space. Pretty much nothing we do puts things into space, with a few very rare exceptions. So have no worries about that.

On the other hand, the Earth IS getting heavier every day. Think meteorites!

Meteor showers are still a common occurrence, and even when the meteors burn entirely up in the atmosphere, the stuff they were made of doesn't disappear... it just trickles down as dust instead of smacking into the ground all at once.

It is difficult to measure exactly how much falls. It is even a bit difficult to be sure of the exact mass of the Earth in the first place. Most estimates of the Earth's mass are made by calculating backward from a measured gravitational force. But due to inconsistencies in the Earth's density and a non-spherical shape, the force of gravity is not constant and therefore this method isn't exactly perfect.

Still, we can guess about these things. Scientists estimate that the Earth gains an average of about a hundred million (10^8) kilograms of mass every day.

Which may sound like a lot, but compared to the total mass of the Earth (ten thousand million million times more), it's not much at all. In the unlikely event that the Earth continues to accumulate mass like this forever, it would take 10^14 days, or 280 billion years to even accumulate 1% more mass. That's 20 times the current age of the universe. So don't hold your breath.

Answer 2

By re-using resources like metal and water the Earth cannot become heavier or lighter because of the Law of Conservation of Mass, which means mass cannot be created or destroyed. Thus, it would remain the same.

Answer 3

Using resources doesn't change the mass of the earth because those resources don't leave the earth, they are just changed into different forms. The earth does gain several (I think) tons every day from dust that falls to the planet's surface from space.

Answer 4

Well, sending space probes into space will lighten the Earth's weight, albeit a very small amount.

Incidentally, eventually the world will stop turning due to the moon pushing against the earth and causing tides, along with various events such as earthquakes.

Just a happy fact about the future.

Answer 5

The earth has been growing for a long time. It used to grow quickly when there was more space debris to catch. Now are many fewer impacts (thank goodness) but tons and tons of material fall to earth each day.

There was a great discover channel show involving the evolution of earth and how we got our moon and all that involved this concept you might want to look it up on their site.

Answer 6

is this what you incredibly desire to nicely known, i'm hoping it is going to tutor you ways to. In cutting-side medical utilization, weight and mass are genuinely distinctive parts: mass is an intrinsic materials of remember, while weight is a rigidity that outcomes from the action of gravity on remember: it measures how strongly gravity pulls on that remember. besides the shown fact that, the acceptance of this distinction is, traditionally, a reasonably present day progression and in many usual situations the word "weight" maintains for use whilst "mass" is meant. as an occasion, we are saying that an merchandise "weighs one kilogram", even however the kilogram is a unit of mass. the distinction between mass and weight is unimportant for many useful applications because of the fact the flexibility of gravity is very simliar everywhere on the floor of the Earth. In considered one of those consistent gravitational field, the gravitational rigidity exerted on an merchandise (its weight) is at as quickly as proportional to its mass. So, if merchandise A weighs, say, 10 cases as much as merchandise B, then merchandise A's mass is 10 cases that of merchandise B. this implies that an merchandise's mass could be measured not at as quickly as with the aid of its weight (for conversion formulation see under). as an occasion, as quickly as we purchase a bag of sugar we can degree its weight (how complicated it presses down on the scales) and be helpful that this might supply a competent indication of the quantity that we are definitely attracted to, that's the mass of sugar interior the bag. besides the shown fact that, gentle ameliorations interior the Earth's gravitational field do exist (see Earth's gravity). those regulate the relationship between weight and mass, and may well be taken into consideration in excessive precision weight measurements that are meant to not at as quickly as degree mass. on the full i'm hoping this leaves you feeling much less gentle headed and keeps your feet firmly on terra firma.

Answer 7

It gets heavier & heavier by the second.

Answer 8

no, matter can't be created or destroyed, if the earth is 3 trillion pounds, it will always be 3 trillion pounds