How high do you need to be to weigh 69.7 percent of your surface weight?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the height above Earth's surface at which a person would weigh 69.7 percent of their weight at the surface. The problem involves gravitational forces and the relationship between weight and distance from the center of the Earth.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the calculations related to gravitational force and weight, questioning the correctness of the original poster's approach. There are inquiries about the gravitational constant and the mass of the Earth, as well as the need to consider the radius of the Earth in the calculations.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided hints regarding the calculations, suggesting that the original poster needs to focus on the radius where the acceleration due to gravity is 0.697 times that at the surface. There is an acknowledgment that certain constants may not be necessary for solving the problem.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the question specifically asks for the height above the surface, implying a need to subtract the Earth's radius from the calculated distance. There is also mention of potential confusion regarding the variables involved in the calculations.

shabut NAA
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How far above the surface of Earth would you weigh 69.7 percent of your surface weight?

This is the work I've done but something isn't right and I'm not getting the right answer:

69.7(9.8)=6.67x10^-11(5.98x10^24)/r^2 = 683.06 = 3.98x10^14/r^2

r= 763329.61m (Incorrect)

someone please help me??
 
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shabut NAA said:
How far above the surface of Earth would you weigh 69.7 percent of your surface weight?

This is the work I've done but something isn't right and I'm not getting the right answer:

69.7(9.8)=6.67x10^-11(5.98x10^24)/r^2 = 683.06 = 3.98x10^14/r^2

r= 763329.61m (Incorrect)

someone please help me??

[tex]\vec{w}_0=m\vec{g}[/tex] and [tex]\vec{w}=0.697m\vec{g}[/tex]. Mass remains constant so what's your [tex]\Delta\vec{g}[/tex] and how does this relate with your system?
 
Not really sure what g you're referring to, but I can give you the Gravitational Constant and the mass of earth:

Gravitational Constant= 6.67x10-11
Mass of Earth= 5.98x1024
 
shabut NAA said:
Not really sure what g you're referring to, but I can give you the Gravitational Constant and the mass of earth:

Gravitational Constant= 6.67x10-11
Mass of Earth= 5.98x1024

There you go. And the radius of the Earth; that'll give you your [tex]\vec{g}[/tex] at positions near the surface of the Earth. You'll want to compare this with those radii which make your weight--your mass times the gravitational force acting upon you--0.697 what it is at the surface.
 
shabut NAA said:
How far above the surface of Earth would you weigh 69.7 percent of your surface weight?

This is the work I've done but something isn't right and I'm not getting the right answer:

69.7(9.8)=6.67x10^-11(5.98x10^24)/r^2 = 683.06 = 3.98x10^14/r^2

r= 763329.61m (Incorrect)

someone please help me??

First of all, you multlplied g (=9.81 m/s^2) by 69.7: but what you need is the radius where the acceleration is 0.697 times g.

Second, once you have found r, you have to subtract the radius of Earth: the question asks "how far from the surface of Earth".
 
And if I may add a third hint: you don't have to know G or M (mass of Earth) to answer this question: those quantities drop out. The ratio of weights at different heights only depends on the ratio of r's.
 

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