what would be the velocity with which the atmosphere be pulled out of the earth if earth's gravity collapsed

Answer 1

If you assume the Earth's gravity to collapse, but the moon's gravity to remain intact, the speed of migration away from the Earth would just be slightly faster than the diffusion velocity of the gas, somewhere between 0.1 and 1 m/s.

If you ignored all other gravitational sources as well, the diffusion velocity would be slightly lower.

Remember that the diffusion velocity is much, much lower than the mean free velocity of gas. The mean free velocity of Nitrogen, for instance is over 500 m/s.

Of course, as more atmosphere escapes, the diffusion velocity gets closer and closer to the mean free velocity.

So, making some estimates, the atmosphere is very thin at a stratospheric altitude of about 45,000 feet, or 13,716 meters. So using the 0.1 m/s estimate, one molecule would take an average of about 38 hours to diffuse the distance of the mid stratosphere. Now consider that it is just as likely to diffuse along the surface as it is up (or down at altitutude) and you're looking at about 200 hours to reach 45,000 feet. (With gravity, it is much, much lower than this, because the atmosphere is highly stratified, with little verticle mixing.)

You have the vacuum of space acting as a low pressure on the atmosphere obviously, but the atmospheric lamina around the earth is held in by fluid and thermodynamic effects.

So without resorting to calculations or any more wild guesses, I'll estimate it will take a abut six months without gravity before the air is thin enough at sea-level as to be unbreathable.

Answer 2

Would vary by altitude.

Earth's gravity keeps the atmosphere under pressure. The pressure is very large at sea level, but declines rapidly with altitude.

Were gravity to suddenly "switch off" air molecules at sea level would feel a large force ( 101,325 Pascals, to be precise) upwards. By the time you get to 100,000 feet or so, pressure has reduced approximately 1000 Pascals (all round numbers), air molecules at this altitude would feel a much smaller force, and so accelerate slowly and achieve lower velocities.

Loss of gravity would have other catastrophic effects. The earth's rotational motion results in significant forces on the crust-- without gravity, there's the likelihood that the earth would "pull apart"as well as lose its atmosphere.

Answer 3

It would be hard (I think) to calculate an exact (or even approximate) velocity, but it would disperse into space quite quickly; minutes I would think.

But it would not be "pulled" out; it would be PUSHED out by the pressure the the atmosphere, which is 14.7 pounds per square inch at sea level. The idea that a vacuum "sucks" or "pulls" is incorrect in a technical, physics sense. The lowest pressure you can have is zero, which is the pressure in a vacuum, and all other pressures are higher. A vacuum cleaner has an air pump that lowers the pressure inside the vacuum cleaner and then the higher pressure air outside pushes its way into the vacuum cleaner. For the Earth, the pressure of the air is trying to push out into space, but gravity is pulling it back.

Answer 4

in case you some how can leap with a miles better speed than the get away speed, speed required to flee Earth's gravitational pull, you ought to "waft" faraway from Earth and never come again. you will possibly in all probability die earlier you reached the moon's orbit in case you by some means survived the go out from Earth's environment and such. There may well be an extremely great quantity of tension on your physique; think of what a spacecraft has to bypass through whilst sporting astronauts/ kit into area and this is created from metals. yet once you have been in a position to stay on the that, you does not have water and different needs of lifestyles. How might you expel your waste and such?

Answer 5

If gravity disappeared the Earth's atmosphere would do a random walk expansion against its own gravitation initially at its average molecular velocity for its temperature.

Answer 6

It wouldn't be pulled out, it would disperse. Since the earth turns at about 1000mph.....hey wait, does it matter? YOU would be leaving at the same rate. Now that would create a brush burn.

Answer 7

It would not be pulled away, it would slowly percolate into space.