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The measured value of the constant is known with some certainty to four significant digits. In SI units, its value is approximately 6.6743 × 10 −11 N⋅m 2 /kg 2. [1] The modern notation of Newton's law involving G was introduced in the 1890s by C. V. Boys.
All that was needed to obtain a numerical value for standard gravity was now to measure the gravitational strength at the International Bureau. This task was given to Gilbert Étienne Defforges of the Geographic Service of the French Army. The value he found, based on measurements taken in March and April 1888, was 9.80991(5) m⋅s −2. [6]
Red shows the areas where gravity is stronger than the smooth, standard value, and blue reveals areas where gravity is weaker (Animated version). [ 1 ] The gravity of Earth , denoted by g , is the net acceleration that is imparted to objects due to the combined effect of gravitation (from mass distribution within Earth ) and the centrifugal ...
For several objects in the Solar System, the value of μ is known to greater accuracy than either G or M. The SI unit of the standard gravitational parameter is m 3 ⋅s −2. However, the unit km 3 ⋅s −2 is frequently used in the scientific literature and in spacecraft navigation.
To make this into an equal-sided formula or equation, there needed to be a multiplying factor or constant that would give the correct force of gravity no matter the value of the masses or distance between them (the gravitational constant). Newton would need an accurate measure of this constant to prove his inverse-square law.
A common misconception occurs between centre of mass and centre of gravity.They are defined in similar ways but are not exactly the same quantity. Centre of mass is the mathematical description of placing all the mass in the region considered to one position, centre of gravity is a real physical quantity, the point of a body where the gravitational force acts.
The acceleration due to Earth's gravity at its surface is 976 to 983 Gal, the variation being due mainly to differences in latitude and elevation. Standard gravity is 980.665 Gal. Mountains and masses of lesser density within the Earth's crust typically cause variations in gravitational acceleration of tens to hundreds of milligals (mGal).
A more recent theoretical formula for gravity as a function of latitude is the International Gravity Formula 1980 (IGF80), also based on the GRS80 ellipsoid but now using the Somigliana equation (after Carlo Somigliana (1860–1955) [6]):