Follow up to the hole through the earth question...Once you reached the center, would you be weightless?

Question

Because gravity is a mass vs. mass connection (and assuming you could withstand the heat, had an elevator to get out, had a large enough room at the center able to resist the crushing effect above, etc., etc.) would you be weightless? or would gravity pull you apart?

Answer 1

If the Earth were perfectly shperical and made of the same material, and you were in a giant cavern in the center of the world then you would float, feel no pull of gravity, because gravity, produced by the surrounding mass, would be atracting you equally in all directions...hence, the pull cancels out entirely and you would be experiencing free fall. You would be fooled into thinking gravity does not exist. It is similar to the pressure of the earth's atmosphere, you don't feel it because the pressure inside your body is the same as the pressure outside your body.

Answer 2

Speculatively consider that once you are in the center of the planet without kinetic energy, it is necessary immense force for any minuscule movement, because of the huge pressure... No way you would be weightless. Because of the pressure just ashes would remain from your body.

Answer 3

Yes, at the center you are weightless. Weight decreases linearly from surface to center, So half way to the center you weigh half as much.

Answer 4

The net gravitation at the center of the earth is zero, so yes, you would be weightless.

Answer 5

If you survived the heat and if you had no momentum then yes, you would be weightless, as if the Earth around you didn't exist at all.

Answer 6

Yes you would, should you choose to stop there. Ideally, once you've reached the center, your speed would be at maximum, so you could 'climb up' to the far surface.