Assuming the Earth is a perfect sphere of radius R. By how much would your mass (m), as given by a scale, change if you measured it on the north pole and on the equator?

The key observation here is that the Earth is spinning (angular velocity w) and so are you. The scale will give one number or another depending on the force that you exert on it, and by Newton's 3rd Law that is equal and opposite to the force that it exerts on you (i.e the normal force). On the north pole you are sitting just on the axis of rotation, so the centripetal force is zero. However, on the equator the centripetal force is no longer zero, so the normal has to be slightly smaller than your weight to keep you rotating. Bringing in some maths: Centripetal force= Your weight - normal N=mg-mRw^2=mg(1-rw^2/g)= what the scale "thinks" you weight. Hence, the readings are different by a factor of (1-rw^2/g)

JP
Answered by Javier P. Physics tutor

2406 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

A student is measuring the acceleration due to gravity, g. They drop a piece of card from rest, from a vertical height of 0.75m above a light gate. The light gate measures the card's speed as it passes to be 3.84 m/s. Calculate an estimate for g.


What is the angular velocity of a person standing on the surface of the earth. Give your answer in radians per second


Explain what simple harmonic motion means?


Do the SUVAT equations work for acceleration that changes with time?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning