Does Gravity play any role in Earth kepping its atmoshere, preventing the atmosphere from dissipating into space?
2007-02-28 19:03:11 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Of course gravity is what keeps the atmosphere from evaporating away into space. However, even though the gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the center of the Earth, because the Earth's atmosphere is less than a hundred miles as compared to the Earth's radius of 4,000 miles, the difference in gravitational pull between 100 miles up and at sea level isn't much. The reason why the atmosphere is denser at sea level is because we've got a hundred miles of air stacked on it!
2007-02-28 20:00:03 · answer #1 · answered by Scythian1950 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes. All objects have mass and any thing with mass has gravity, so the mass of the Earth exerts a pull on the air molecules. Gravity follows the inverse cube rule, so the attraction fades off very quickly as the distance increases. There are also many other things that affect whether or not a planetary body has or can keep an atmosphere.
2007-03-01 03:14:45 · answer #2 · answered by Mike 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course it does.
Because of that, the farther leave from Earth, the less air exist.
2007-03-01 03:15:20 · answer #3 · answered by kbm1378 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
exactly that exactly is the reason for the gases not moving away
unlike moon which is much smaller (hence less gravitational force) has no atmosphere
2007-03-01 04:16:07 · answer #4 · answered by photon 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure it does!
2007-03-01 03:09:42 · answer #5 · answered by baba 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋