The discussion revolves around the relationship between weight and gravity for standing objects, specifically focusing on a hypothetical scenario involving a long pipe and how its weight might change when oriented vertically versus horizontally. The conversation touches on concepts of gravitational strength and its variation with distance from the Earth's center.
Participants express differing views on the impact of orientation on weight due to gravitational variation, with some asserting that the weight remains effectively unchanged while others acknowledge a slight decrease in weight when oriented vertically. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of gravitational changes over large distances.
Participants note that the strength of gravity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the Earth's center, but the practical implications of this for short distances are debated. There is also mention of the need for clarity on the exact problem being addressed.
Doc Al said:Unless the purpose of the exercise is to test your ability to integrate, for all practical purposes the strength of gravity near the Earth's surface can be considered uniform over 100 meters. The weight will be the same regardless of orientation
Of course.Swapnil said:You have a 100m long solid (not hollow) pipe and when you put it on the Earth's surface horizontally it weighs 100kg. Technically, if you put the same pipe vertically on the Earth's surface, its weight should go down (by an extremely small amount), right?
I could only see the beginning of the article, but it sounds a lot like the "skyhook" problem, which has been discussed a bit here on PF (and plenty of other places too). Do a search on "skyhook" (or "sky hook") as well as on "space elevator" and you might find some interesting stuff.Dave Chippy said:thankyou Doc Al the exact problem goes like this. I was reading the New Scientist this morning and found this article...