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10 answers

Actually, if Earth had a small hollow core, and you were inside of it, you would not feel any gravitational pull by the thick shell. It's a quirk of mathematics that it works out that way. Consequently, the only gravitational pull you'd feel would be from the solid mass between you and the center. The closer you are towards the center, the less mass there is, and therefore less gravitational pull you'd feel, until finally you feel nothing at all at the center.

It's wrong to say that "the gravitational pull of the Earth above you cancels out the gravitational pull of the Earth below you", because "the Earth above you" has no net gravitational pull on you.

Newton worked this out when he first wondered about it.

Addendum: For those still confused or misinformed about this, the following link explains it all mathematically.

2007-03-13 05:15:29 · answer #1 · answered by Scythian1950 7 · 1 0

The gravitational force increases as one moves toward the very center of our planet. The gravitational force decreases as one moves away from it. The reason for this is that there is a greater number of these lines of force as one approaches the very center of our planet (similar to your hand becoming hotter the closer you move it toward an incandescent light bulb,(hot stove candle, etc), and cooler the further you are away from it).

Lines of gravitational force pass through the center of our planet drawing the heat energy contained within it toward its center as well as the mass upon its surface. Were this not done, our planet would be practically the same temperature throughout.

There is an easy to understand paper "Time Energy and Gravity" found at http://360.yahoo.com/noddarc that explains why there is a gravitational increase as one moves downward, and what the increasing values are at different depths. When at the blog site, click on "Blog" then on "list view" and scroll down.

2007-03-13 05:17:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

Try this: Picture a straight hole all the way through the Earth. (Like "digging to china") - If you drop a rock in at one end, it will fall & accellerate (assuming it's a vacuum) all the way to the center of the Earth, then, it will start to decellerate as it 'falls' to the other end. As you near the center of mass, there's less mass 'below' you to pull you down, and there's a growing mass 'above' you pulling you up. Eventually, most of the mass is 'above' you, and you should decellerate to 0 just as you reach the far side of the Earth.

2007-03-13 06:30:51 · answer #3 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 0 0

Because the mass above us cancels so that only the mass below us has an effect. And assuming a constant density the mass below us varies as r^3 while the gravity varies as 1/r^2 so the gravity will vary with r and decrease as the radius decreases.

2007-03-13 05:11:47 · answer #4 · answered by rscanner 6 · 1 0

How ought to the comparable tension be pushing upward and downward on the comparable time? Gravity is an charm between 2 products with mass. by way of fact the Earth has this type of extensive mass, it pulls people in direction of it. It you have been on a planet like Jupiter (if it replaced into sturdy), you would be overwhelmed by way of fact the gravity is so great there. the floor does exert a classic tension to ward off people and different products from falling. products floating in water is by technique of a tension referred to as buoyancy.

2016-12-14 18:00:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Because you now have some of the earth's matter above you which tends to cancel out the attraction of the mas below. Only the matter below you attracts. The matter in the shell above you cancels out.

2007-03-13 05:10:53 · answer #6 · answered by Gene 7 · 1 0

Less of the earth is below you and the part of the earth above you is pulling you up. At the center of the earth there is no gravity.

2007-03-13 05:10:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2 1

g=G*M/R*R
g gravitational force
G gravitational constant
R radius of earth

as the R decreases the g also decreases

2007-03-13 05:27:56 · answer #8 · answered by neumor 2 · 0 1

the force of gravity is defined by

F = m1*m2*G/r

Therefore, the closer you are to the center of a planet, the more gravity has a force on you.

2007-03-13 05:12:48 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

It'll increase. Under pressure...do,do,do,do,do,do,do.

2007-03-13 05:22:50 · answer #10 · answered by comicfreak33 3 · 0 1

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