UCSB Science Line
Sponge Spicules Nerve Cells Galaxy Abalone Shell Nickel Succinate X-ray Lens Lupine
UCSB Science Line
Home
How it Works
Ask a Question
Search Topics
Webcasts
Our Scientists
Science Links
Contact Information
Would I weigh less at the bottom of a mind shaft than on the surface?
Question Date: 2009-05-17
Answer 1:

Yes, the deeper you go into the Earth, the less gravitational force acting on you, ultimately reducing your weight. Say you go 100 meters below the surface of the Earth. There, the mass in the shell above you (100 meters thick) pulling you in one direction exactly cancels out the mass in the on the other side of the Earth (also 100 meters thick) pulling you in the opposite direction. In essence, the Earth has lost a bit of its mass and that is why it pulls you down with less force.



Click Here to return to the search form.

University of California, Santa Barbara Materials Research Laboratory National Science Foundation
This program is co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation and UCSB School-University Partnerships
Copyright © 2020 The Regents of the University of California,
All Rights Reserved.
UCSB Terms of Use