Is weight of earth is decreasing?

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    decreasing Earth Weight
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of the Earth's weight and mass, particularly in the context of whether the Earth's weight is decreasing due to human activities such as burning fuel and launching rockets. Participants explore the definitions of weight and mass, and the implications of these activities on the Earth's overall mass.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant asks for the weight of the Earth, prompting a clarification about the difference between weight and mass.
  • Another participant provides a figure for the Earth's mass, stating it as approximately 6 x 10^24 kilograms.
  • Concerns are raised about whether the Earth's weight is decreasing due to the burning of matter and launching of rockets, with one participant asserting this must be correct.
  • A later reply challenges the idea that burning matter decreases the Earth's mass, arguing that the total mass remains constant as the products of combustion retain the original mass of the reactants.
  • Another participant mentions that while launching objects into space does reduce the Earth's mass, the effect is negligible.
  • It is noted that the Earth gains mass from infalling matter, such as meteorites and dust, which also contributes to the overall mass.
  • One participant explains that burning matter can release a small amount of mass if energy escapes the Earth, but emphasizes that the Earth is also gaining mass from other sources.
  • There is a clarification about the difference between weight and mass, with one participant confirming their understanding of the concepts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether the Earth's weight is decreasing. While some argue that human activities could lead to a decrease, others counter that the mass remains effectively unchanged due to various factors, leading to an unresolved discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants discuss the definitions of weight and mass, but there is some ambiguity in how these terms are applied in the context of the Earth's changing mass due to various activities. The discussion includes assumptions about the insignificance of certain effects, which are not universally accepted.

gopu rakshith
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weight of earth?

can anyone tell me the weight of earth?
 
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welcome to pf!

hi gopu rakgarbageh! welcome to pf! :smile:
gopu rakgarbageh said:
can anyone tell me the weight of earth?

do you mean the mass?

if so, try wikipedia :wink:​
 


6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms.
 


The weight of the Earth, as measured relative to the Sun, is of variable magnitude, because the Earth's orbit about the Sun is an ellipse.
:smile:
 
weight of Earth is 6 x 10^24 kgs,we are burning matter,launching rockets,by this the weight of Earth must decrease,is it right or wrong?
 


thank you
 
Wrong.
 
gopu rakgarbageh said:
weight of Earth is 6 x 10^24 kgs,we are burning matter,launching rockets,by this the weight of Earth must decrease,is it right or wrong?

Burning stuff doesn't change the mass: we start with fuel and air, and end up with ashes, smoke, and exhaust gases with the same mass.

Launching things into space at greater than escape velocity reduces the mass of the earth, but that effect is completely insignificant and unmeasurable. 6x1024 is a really big number.

There is a steady drizzle of infalling matter (small meteorites, random dust, the occasional much larger meteorite) that increases the Earth's mass. Again, the effect is pretty much insignificant.
 
Burning stuff does release a small amount of mass if some of the released energy escapes the Earth. The exothermic reaction gives off a certain amount of energy from the binding energy of the reactants. This energy has mass. But Earth is getting heavier because meteorites and sunlight itself is landing on the Earth. Some fraction of sunlight energy is converted into chemical binding energy in plants... essentially the opposite of burning them.
 
  • #10


I want to make sure you understand that weight and mass are NOT the same thing. Do you know the difference?
 
  • #11
Sure. Weight is the force that a mass feels in gravity. Mass is just energy (divided by c^2).
 

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