Top » Science & Technology

BIG G, EARTH'S WEIGHT RECALCULATED

Inside an old cyclotron hall at the University of Washington's physics research laboratory, two researchers have produced a new and more precise measurement for the gravity constant. In a related move, Jens Gundlach and Stephen Merkowitz have recalculated the weight of the Earth at 5.972 sextillion (5,972 followed by 18 zeroes) metric tons. Discover how their work parallels the original calculations made of Isaac Newton's gravity constant, and the embarrassment that this constant has been for physicists for more than a decade. Follow a link to a lay-language abstract of the UW researchers' work on the Big G, one of the most elusive constants in nature.

Sun, 07 May 2000 08:55:16 -0700

Submitted by: Richard Petura